Why is nobody talking about...Paul Johnson

[Stanito]

The coach from Georgia Tech, Paul Johnson? He is doing well there and has been successful other places. His offense is kind of old school but still. Winning is winning.

 

[tankjeep]

i think i read that on here in one of the 100's of threads started. someone mentioned that a law firm in chicago (comprised of 80% nd grads) has put in suggestions for coaches and paul johnson is one of them.

whether that's true or not....who knows. but i'm not sure if we have the personnel for the triple option. i think he's a great coach, but it may take time (which most people don't have the patience for) for him to get the right players for his system.

 

[The hawaiianassassin]

we have use the search feature and he runs the same style offense we used back in the day the spread (triple option) something like that its close but it does win and this has allready been mentioned a few times

 

[HitMan54]

Paul Johnson would be a great fit at ND. He wont get a look or thought because they want someone sexy and attractive to make it look or appear that ND is serious about football this time!

I cannot believe that coaches aren't knocking down their doors trying to become the next coach!

 

[phork]

Wrong forum.

Firstly, ND doesn't have nearly the personel needed to run that offense effectively. You'd be setting back ND 5 years by going back to an option attack.

Secondly ND can't stop anyone. By not being a quick strike offense you limit your comeback potential if you find yourself falling behind. And everyone knows that a running option team forced to pass just makes it worse.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

NBC would be pissed if we ran the flex option.

 

[Junkhead]

Paul Johnson is a hell of coach, but say goodbye to the Floyds and Tates with that offense. I'd rather see a more balanced offense, but can't argue with his success.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

The coach from Georgia Tech, Paul Johnson? He is doing well there and has been successful other places. His offense is kind of old school but still. Winning is winning.

We want a coach who will bring us a National Title, thus he and his gimmicky offense are excluded from the search

 

[alleycat9]

first now the triple option is gimmicky? jeez thats as bad as all the nfl fans calling the wildcat aka single wing gimmicky. next thing the t formation will be gimmicky or the delaware wing t. what constitutes gimmicky at this point? i always thought things like the run and shoot were gimmicky or that offense that high school had a couple years ago. never any of the old school running formations.

paul johnson started at georgia tech what 2 years ago? he is going to the acc championship game this year. he has great backs that he has transformed. i just dont see how he can do it in 2 years, really his team was VERY good last year so 1 year there but it would take 5 here. sure sure he has a couple transfers but are his fullback and qb transfers?

i like the guy, i like the offense he runs, i would like the hire to be honest.... but i completely understand why it wouldnt happen at this point. yet i still dont understand some of the rationale as to why it shouldnt happen.

hard nosed tough coach who will make his players play hard and learn to be men. yeah that sounds like what i would be looking for.

 

[theShark]

He was sucesful in year one b/c he had a mobile QB to start with, and apparently his recievers are happy being blockers only.

Our most mobile QB is out with a knee injury, maybe thru the spring practices, and in ni way, shape or form is Crist mobile enough to run that option offense, and i doubt he'd even be willing to try.

I.E. Ryan Mallet transferring almost on the day that RRod takes the Michican't job.

 

[NDSeagull3]

He was sucesful in year one b/c he had a mobile QB to start with, and apparently his recievers are happy being blockers only.

Our most mobile QB is out with a knee injury, maybe thru the spring practices, and in ni way, shape or form is Crist mobile enough to run that option offense, and i doubt he'd even be willing to try.

I.E. Ryan Mallet transferring almost on the day that RRod takes the Michican't job.

According to a recent story that SI ran, Nesbit was more of a passer and was actually somewhat skeptical when Johnson came on board. PJ's obviously made a believer out of him.

But I agree, no one on the roster could run that offense next year. If Clausen's back (highly doubt it), it would be painful to watch him curl up into a ball when he's about to get hit like he did at the goalline this year.

 

[callmesir]

I was just discussing

I was just discussing

Paul Johnson this very day...

I love the guy... I love the option... I think we have the backs to do it... and I know people don't know if we have the QB to run it but I'd have to think John Goodman would be a good fit. I'm also sure that Dan McCarthy Would jump at the opportunity to play QB for the irish.

We could get a ton of speed on the field Hughes would be a perfect Dive back AA has shown good recognition on blitz pickups so I'm sure he could block as a slot back and would be an amazing pitch back... You add Gray and Wood And riddick and it could be unstoppable... generally the triple option is easy for OL to pick up because it's really only about 10 plays run from different formations but your assignments rarely change... We already know Kamara and Floyd are good Blocking WR's and I don't think you ignore a talent like Floyd just because he doesn't quite fit your system... you still throw the ball to him...

I'd be ridiculously excited about Paul Johnson... Much moreso than Brian Kelly.

 

[callmesir]

huh

huh

We want a coach who will bring us a National Title, thus he and his gimmicky offense are excluded from the search

If the spread option can win multiple national titles at florida... So can the triple option... it's not like it's some new gimmicky A-10 offense.... Which is now illegal... the triple option has been proven time and time again... last I checked we lost to a navy team that runs the option... and so did a lot of other teams... you add in the talent we could recruit in comparison to them... and we could be silly good...

 

[Aerosmith777]

I like Paul Johnson, but I don't want to see ND running the triple option in this day and age. It might get them some wins, but do you think it can beat a team like Florida or Alabama or Texas? Even if its run by a school with similar talent as those places? I'm not so sure.

 

[bliv711]

I like Paul Johnson, but I don't want to see ND running the triple option in this day and age. It might get them some wins, but do you think it can beat a team like Florida or Alabama or Texas? Even if its run by a school with similar talent as those places? I'm not so sure.

Look at what happened when the Nebraska Cornhuskers got away from the option. Granted, times have changed a bit, but Nebraska was the team of the 90s running the option. Think about it...Nebraska beat a favored Tennessee (Peyton Manning QB) team 42-17 in '97...the were 8 point 'dogs to Florida in '95...yet won 62-24. Nebraska won at LEAST 9 games every single year running the option for 33 consecutive years. The fans got bored and wanted the big name recruits to come to Lincoln, so upon the firing of Frank Solich, they brought in Bill Callahan and his west coast offense...the rest is history.

 

[Aerosmith777]

Look at what happened when the Nebraska Cornhuskers got away from the option. Granted, times have changed a bit, but Nebraska was the team of the 90s running the option. Think about it...Nebraska beat a favored Tennessee (Peyton Manning QB) team 42-17 in '97...the were 8 point 'dogs to Florida in '95...yet won 62-24. Nebraska won at LEAST 9 games every single year running the option for 33 consecutive years. The fans got bored and wanted the big name recruits to come to Lincoln, so upon the firing of Frank Solich, they brought in Bill Callahan and his west coast offense...the rest is history.

Yeah, but 1997 was 12 years ago. And while they made a big mistake with Callahan, I can't say firing Solich was a bad idea, he really didn't have that program moving in the right direction imo. Now they have Pelini, and he lets his offensive coordinator throw it around a bit and have a balanced attack, and they're already back in the Big 12 title game in what, his second year?

I have no problem with a run-heavy team that relies on its defense, as I feel Pelini is trying to make the Cornhuskers. But I think you still have to throw it around a little bit to compete with those top teams these days. The speed of the opposing defenses just makes it hard to run that offense effectively against the crème de la crème imo.

 

[bliv711]

YNow they have Pelini, and he lets his offensive coordinator throw it around a bit and have a balanced attack, and they're already back in the Big 12 title game in what, his second year?

They're in the Big 12 Title game, not because of some balanced offense attack, but rather a stout, disciplined defense. Their defense outgained the offense vs. Oklahoma.

My point however wasn't that I want a triple option back at ND...I don't...but rather that it will win games and is better than a too pass-centric attack IMO. When you have a poor defense like ND did this year, what is a defense's best friend? An offense that stays on the field. GT led the nation in time of possession. They led the nation in yards per pass. The were #12 in scoring offense compared to ND's 40. It's absolutely crazy what that offense did. As for overall passing yards, that is the ONE area ND was better than GT...like #12 to #110. What I found most amazing was that GT ranked #8 in the nation for yards per rush...teams knew it was coming but couldn't stop it. ND ranked a dismal #77 in average yards per rush and teams knew the PASS was coming.

 

[LeahysLad]

He'd certainly spice up the weekly pressers...here are some quotes:

On recruiting at GT: "We have some issues here in recruiting because of the academics…………..If we can't recruit such-and-such a kid what are (the recruits) going to say, 'I can't get in at Tech?' They're going to say, 'I don't like that offense,' or 'I don't like the coach,' or 'They didn't do a good job recruiting me.' ...................All these rankings are a joke anyway, we're probably not going to get a receiver who wants to catch 100 balls here. But if catching 100 balls is more important than winning, I don't want him anyway."
______________________________________________________________________________________


GT WR James Johnson: "... we're going to hope that Coach does not do all that much running. We just hope he's saying all that to trick people,"

GT HC Paul Johnson: "He caught 30 balls (actually 25) and they went 7-6…………If something wasn't wrong, if what they were doing was so great, we wouldn't be here. It's not like we're coming in here and dismantling this high-powered machine that was lighting everybody up."
______________________________________________________________________________________

GT Basketball Game (Introduction): "To Hell with Georgia"
______________________________________________________________________________________

ACC Media Days:

Reporter: “How will this offense will work against the faster defenses?”

Johnson: "Is there a law or rule written somewhere that you are not allowed to put fast people on offense? If so, I am leaving now to turn in Clemson! C'mon man. Ask me some questions that aren't stupid."
______________________________________________________________________________________

Reporter: “Can I ask you something without making you mad?”

Johnson: “Maybe. I don’t know.”

Reporter: “I was talking to a Navy fan and he said he follows the coverage and that he noticed something and I’m just going to put it to you. He says that it seems like when Navy loses you blame the players, i.e., we can’t execute fundamental plays, but that the success of the team the last four years has been attributed to brilliant coaching. How do you respond to that?”

Johnson: “Whatever he thinks. I don’t go down to McDonald’s and start second-guessing his job so he ought to leave me alone.”

Reporter: “But do you feel like it can’t be both ways?”

Johnson: “You know what? I could care less. I’m old enough where I could give a crap what the fans think or what you think to put it in a nutshell.”

Reporter: “Wins and losses are evenly distributed as far as credit and blame, right?”

Johnson: “If you could ever find one time that I said we won the game because of brilliant strategy I will kiss your butt at city dock and give you two days to draw a crowd. Find it and bring it to me. Tell that guy that if he wants to talk to me I live at [address given but deleted for the transcript] I will be right there. Come ring my doorbell and I will be glad to talk to him.”

 

[DKSchrute]

Paul Johnson is very much on NDs radar, more so than you might think. Prominent alums bring him up more than anybody.

In 2007 when Weis was 3-9 his name was coming up when he was with Navy.

The drawbacks being discussed with Johnson is his literal disdain for recruiting ratings. ND nation is obsessed with it. Paul Johnson will go after a 0 star guy from a town of 300 if he likes what he sees.

Some of these alums are also still living the Tony Rice era and of course Johnsons current team is almost a mirror image.

Hes picking up steam though because GT is a school with standards like the Naval Academy and he is winning big there with his system.

 

[Aerosmith777]

They're in the Big 12 Title game, not because of some balanced offense attack, but rather a stout, disciplined defense. Their defense outgained the offense vs. Oklahoma.

My point however wasn't that I want a triple option back at ND...I don't...but rather that it will win games and is better than a too pass-centric attack IMO. When you have a poor defense like ND did this year, what is a defense's best friend? An offense that stays on the field. GT led the nation in time of possession. They led the nation in yards per pass. The were #12 in scoring offense compared to ND's 40. It's absolutely crazy what that offense did. As for overall passing yards, that is the ONE area ND was better than GT...like #12 to #110. What I found most amazing was that GT ranked #8 in the nation for yards per rush...teams knew it was coming but couldn't stop it. ND ranked a dismal #77 in average yards per rush and teams knew the PASS was coming.

I wasn't crediting the offense for getting them to that game. I said right after:

I have no problem with a run-heavy team that relies on its defense, as I feel Pelini is trying to make the Cornhuskers.

So I understand its defense that got them there, and I'd be fine with it if ND went to the format Pelini is using. My only point is, they're not running a triple option attack at Nebraska now either. I also don't want a pass-centric attack, I just don't want to go back to the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense either. I think, as Swarbrick said, considering where they play it would behoove them to build a team with a strong defense & a solid running game. I just think they need to be able to throw it around a little too. As someone said, when you run that triple threat, what do you do when you DO fall behind early? Now you're forced to pass w/ a QB who probably isn't very good at it, and guys at wide-out who, as receivers, are pretty good blockers. Overall, in a perfect world I guess I'd like a balanced attack with a little bit of emphasis on the running game. But who they can actually get to coach the team also comes into play here...

 

[I Dont Miss Charlie]

They're in the Big 12 Title game, not because of some balanced offense attack, but rather a stout, disciplined defense. Their defense outgained the offense vs. Oklahoma.

My point however wasn't that I want a triple option back at ND...I don't...but rather that it will win games and is better than a too pass-centric attack IMO. When you have a poor defense like ND did this year, what is a defense's best friend? An offense that stays on the field. GT led the nation in time of possession. They led the nation in yards per pass. The were #12 in scoring offense compared to ND's 40. It's absolutely crazy what that offense did. As for overall passing yards, that is the ONE area ND was better than GT...like #12 to #110. What I found most amazing was that GT ranked #8 in the nation for yards per rush...teams knew it was coming but couldn't stop it. ND ranked a dismal #77 in average yards per rush and teams knew the PASS was coming.

You're crazy to think that the triple option would work at Notre Dame, explain to me where we are going to plug in triple option QB's from with our standards? This isn't Nebraska of the 90's in which every player failed to translate to the NFL, this is Notre Dame where we value player development as well as team success.

Any team with better athletes is going to stop the Triple Option. Point blank.

Georgia Tech's only 2 losses came against schools who had better athletes on defense:Miami, and Georgia

Secondly, there is only 3 teams in college football running the triple option: Ga Tech, Navy, and Air Force

Notre Dame ranked #77 in yards per rush because our running back was banged up basically the entire season and Jimmy to Golden was unstoppable this season.

 

[I Dont Miss Charlie]

So I understand its defense that got them there, and I'd be fine with it if ND went to the format Pelini is using. My only point is, they're not running a triple option attack at Nebraska now either. I also don't want a pass-centric attack, I just don't want to go back to the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense either. I think, as Swarbrick said, considering where they play it would behoove them to build a team with a strong defense & a solid running game. I just think they need to be able to throw it around a little too. As someone said, when you run that triple threat, what do you do when you DO fall behind early? Now you're forced to pass w/ a QB who probably isn't very good at it, and guys at wide-out who, as receivers, are pretty good blockers. Overall, in a perfect world I guess I'd like a balanced attack with a little bit of emphasis on the running game. But who they can actually get to coach the team also comes into play here...

I'd rather a balanced offense.

The triple option has its success as long as the school can continue to keep getting the athletes on the team to run it, Nebraska's downfall was solely based on recruiting. If Paul Johnson was hired there would be an exodus of offensive players but we would have to get the personnel in there immediately to run it next season.

You can't plug in Dayne Crist, are some of you guys crazy?

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

You're crazy to think that the triple option would work at Notre Dame...

Did you watch the replays of one of Tebow's touchdowns this weekend? He had the option of pitch left, take it in himself, or pitch right.

It's just semantics and a new look at the same thing. PLAY football. FEEL football. Don't think it.

 

[I Dont Miss Charlie]

Did you watch the replays of one of Tebow's touchdowns this weekend? He had the option of pitch left, take it in himself, or pitch right.

It's just semantics and a new look at the same thing. PLAY football. Don't think it.

Tebow is a special QB. Tebow has the options to pitch left to a 5'8 RB with 4.2 speed or pitch right to a 6'0 RB with 4.3 speed or take it in himself as a QB with the mind of a power back.

The triple option is different from the spread option at Florida.

The triple option requires a full back/power back to be a capable blocker along with a good runner, and requires a Wing back in motion to the direction of the play.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Semantics. Same shit. Different look.

Speed helps.

Even I would be a Heisman candidate under Florida's system.

 

[I Dont Miss Charlie]

Semantics. Same shit. Different look.

Speed helps.

Even I would be a Heisman candidate under Florida's system.

No you wouldn't.

But maybe I'm just assuming you can read and write, dont collect DUI's like baseball cards, aren't constantly are involved with police on campus, and haven't gauged out opponents eyes without punishment.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

No you wouldn't.

But maybe I'm just assuming you can read and write, dont collect DUI's like baseball cards, aren't constantly are involved with police on campus, and haven't gauged out opponents eyes without punishment.

Yes I would

It seems to me a system that allows all 11 on all 3 sides of the ball (include special teams) to excel or have a part of the game will do well. Keeps everyone on their collective toe.

Just win with what you have.

 

[callmesir]

Tebow is a special QB. Tebow has the options to pitch left to a 5'8 RB with 4.2 speed or pitch right to a 6'0 RB with 4.3 speed or take it in himself as a QB with the mind of a power back.

The triple option is different from the spread option at Florida.

The triple option requires a full back/power back to be a capable blocker along with a good runner, and requires a Wing back in motion to the direction of the play.

I'll bite.....

It's really all semantics... the spread option at Florida isn't really all that different from the SPREAD option that Paul Johnson Runs, Spread just refers to the line splits. Paul Johnson is smart enough to adapt his system to the Talent we have. I'm sure Dayne Would transfer, but I'd be willing to bet John Goodman or Dan McCarthy could run the Offense. Hendrix could as well. We looked at Michigan commit Devon Gardner, and he could be in play again if we had that kind of offense...

I HATE the idea that bigger faster Athletes on Defense automatically mean stopping the option. I think Navy proved that a couple of times in the last few years. Not to mention the fact that Notre Dame would still recruit Top Athletes. Take into consideration that about 40 percent of high schools run some version of the option There are plenty of recruits to run the system. I could easily see Paul Johnson adapting his offense to run some shotgun plays if he had a gifted passer.

Tim Tebow is arguably the greatest College QB in History. Yet, might not get drafted in the first round because of a GIMMICKY offense. I don't think The offense would proclude us from getting Athletes with NFL aspirations.

 

[phork]

You don't need athletes aspiring for the NFL. You need a coach that can make them play at that level.

 

[WaveDomer]

When ND ran the option under Holtz they had potentially the greatest athlete to ever put on cleats. They threw, they ran, they played D. It worked. Your QB needs mobility, but so what? Recruit a guy with mobility.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that it doesn't matter what scheme you employ, good football fundamentals is what wins games. Good running, good passing, win the line of scrimmage, and play solid D. That wins no matter if it's under the triple option, West Coast, or the stick in the dirt.