We won’t know until the game gets going how smart Geoff Collins is.

If, well, he’s as smart as some civilians (ahem).

Months ago, there was a plan here to give the then-brand-new Georgia Tech head coach some advice. Or throw out some wishful thinking toward somebody in a business loaded with close-minded and clenched folks who can’t find a box to think outside of, who seem to be worried that open mind might lead to too much oxygen fed to the brain.

The sermon was simple:
“Coach, you don’t have to completely change the offense just yet. And, in fact, you’d be wise to skip the overhaul.

Catching up

          Yessir, it’s been awhile since we’ve sat here and had one of us ramble or sermonize.
          And there are loads of topics that have come and gone and been forgotten that were worthy of addressing and may not be anymore.
          But along the way, there have been coaching changes and near national championships and changing minds and more acting on soccer fields in Russia than stages in Russia, the overratedness of spring football performances, the brain-killing overratedness of recruiting rankings, and so on.
          And the absurd insecurity of commitment productions, wacky waivers, choking hyperbole, the stalking by “media” of kids to make commitment productions, contract impasses, antifa=anti-facts, a baseball team again doing better than expected, media days, pro drafts, the not-surprising implosion of a local “pro” indoor football team, the brutalization of puns with the birth of another team.
          And so much more that has slipped a frazzled mind. There’ll be some catching up as opining returns on a much more consistent basis.

- Michael A. Lough

“For one, overhauling sort of means you’re kinda giving up on the season, so to speak, and I’ve heard coaches over the years taking over a program talk about not doing that because you don’t want to make the seniors’ final year a throwaway year.

“For another, it’s never wise to ignore certain skills. And let’s remember, every single offense on the planet involves blocking, and snapping the ball. This group has been taught a little variation on one of those, so why not try this:

“Don’t go from A to like, R and then to Z on offense. Just go ahead and keep running some option while incorporating what you plan to do. Each game, decrease the option a wee bit and increase your offense. But don’t abandoned the option.

“Because, see, both offenses – and folks have trouble grasping this – involve blocking and snaps and handoffs, and some passing.”

So that column didn’t happen. Let’s fast-forward to now and the rest of the sermon.

Well, there’s not much left. The knee-jerk reaction of what changes were coming when Paul Johnson retired were, uh, knee-jerk reactions. Exhaustive over-thinking.

Nope, it’s not as much as you think.

A merging of offenses, offensive linemen gaining 25 pounds – last year’s two-deep OL average weight was actually 289 pounds, and there were only two seniors - or so and re-learning to not cut-block, throwing a little more, and adding a tight end. Can’t tell me there aren’t four RBs with TE potential for a transition season.

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson preview info

As it is, Tech’s current top 10 offensive linemen range from a low of 282 pounds to 317, with six cracking 300 pounds. So that aforementioned weight-gain math adds up. Just get a little bigger.

Yes, yes, coaches like to make football more complex than deciphering the tax code while designing an emergency room in a rocket ship, but so much can be simple.

The offense will block, but pass block a little more and cut block a good bit less. Nobody’s reinventing blocking just because the option isn’t the offense. Shoot, you can run any “normal” play out of the option look and mess with people.

The quarterback will still run, but less, and throw some more. They’ve all thrown passes. And the receivers at the school that ran but kept sending receivers to the NFL will have to work a little more on pass-catching.

Most can revert to what they ran in high school, while expanding to a more balanced offense. It’s not going to be a news flash to them.

And just as much as anything, Tech can still mess with people’s heads. One of the more absurd yammerings in general has always been about preparing for two quarterbacks. So here, you actually give a defense two things to prepare for. Really, two things, not that false narrative of dualing quarterbacks who really weren’t that far apart. And, of course, coaches would would actually have to bow up and call something different, which they rarely, rarely do.

So, no, the two-QB worry was always a farce.

But Tech can open up and run 60-40 option for a game or two and begin morphing into the “normal” offense. Collins just said Thursday afternoon on ESPN:

“We are not a scheme-based program. We are a player-based program.”

Bless you, Coach. Now, make us both smart and stick with the belief.

Defense in 2018 was a bigger problem than offense, with way too much made of Nate Woody’s “new defense.” Get off blocks, wrap up, hit your guy at the line, and don’t get beat. Get back to that a little bit and upgrade the talent level a bit, and they’re fine.

The kicking game will need more focus in recruiting, too.

Most look at Tech as a 4-8 team, maybe 5-7. That’s fine. That’s inevitable. The true judging of this team’s success is consistency, progress, and competitiveness. There’ll be a “holy crap” loss, no doubt. It’s a program in transition – though not nearly as herculean a transition as the nincomtwits near a mic keep saying - and that happens.

The guess here is that Tech will look better than people think, even with a record a few games under .500. Watch how the Jackets respond next week against South Florida if what’s expected to happen against Clemson happens. A short memory is an underrated key to success.

And after Clemson, like many teams, they’ll need a short memory.