Before you go and close this post and say “I know about Paul Johnson and his triple option funky offense, NO Thanks.” Please read what I am about to post. This is a post from a NC State message board by a former Paul Johnson player from Georgia Southern, and it completely changed my view of the coach and his “System”.

Paul Johnson’s former player says this:

Quote :
“First off I am a former player for Coach Johnson. Lately I have been keeping track off what has been going on for obvious reasons. I played and won a lot of games when I was at Georgia Southern. What we did in the five years was remarkable and it was an unbelievable experience. I know that GSU is 1-AA but we were the big fish of that level. I know that NCST is different and I am not trying to compare the two schools.What I would like to try and clear up is the perception that has been thrown around about him from a lot of people who don’t know. He has gotten support form one side and slammed from the other. The pro are equal to the cons on this board (or so it seems). What you people on both sides of the argument do not understand is that Paul Johnson is a Head Coach who happens to be a great offensive mind. The two go both hand in hand. You people do not understand how much of a leader he is. He is not a player’s coach he is a Head Coach. He is not a politician he is a Head Coach. He will say what needs to be said when it needs to be said. Like it or not. You will know where he and you stand on all issues whether you are a fan, booster, or player. That is not to say he is gruff or an overly ego driven it says he knows what he is and what his job is and what pays the bills. He will speak at functions and coach the crap out of you. You will love him and hate him for the same thing. But the very bottom line is W’s and L’s. And let me make this clear we lost 10 games in 5 years. I have 2 Nat Champ rings and 5 Conf rings. We won a ton of games in part because Paul Johnson was not confused with what he is.

The second thing is his offense. I know that people have been hammering him because of what he runs on offense. Fans and critics might complain and give you reasons why they don’t like it. You will never ever hear a player complain. Because WE KNEW. And when Saturday rolled around WE KNEW. We knew what kind of a play caller he is and that we win or loose we were going to be in the game no matter what. There were a couple of games here and there (10 to be exact) but it was us not him that didn’t execute. His offense is not like Wake, WV, UF, or TT. It is the Spread Option. And we scored points like you wouldn’t believe. We set records that will not be touched for a long time. In 1999 we scored 747 points in the season (avg. 49.8 per game). You don’t score that many point’s by just running the ball. The offense evolves based on the QB each year. It will lean one way or the other based on the strengths of that player. When he gets a guy who can do both he will be a 1000 yds rushing 1500 yds passing type of QB. You can say it was 1-AA but we were the FSU of 1-AA. And there is a track record for you guys to look up if you want.

If Paul Johnson got a chance to do what he does at a NCST you guys would be shocked. Don’t look at what he is doing offensively at Navy right now. I don’t think there is a player on that team especially at the skill positions that could have played at GSU. And I know for a fact that not one of the Navy players would play at NCST. So give the man some run for what he is doing. He is a HEAD COACH. He would make you proud. The former players at GSU want to see him succeed because it will elevate GSU because of the prestige of NCST. In five years we were 62-10. That record is in the books. You can be afraid of something that you truly don’t know or you can go and look at the record.
“

It is only Day 2 of this coaching search and I am already uneasy.