Spring practice No. 13
Good morning, all-
Apologies. Thought I’d posted at 7, but actually didn’t.
Got some notes from Tuesday’s practice and the long-awaited update on the kicking game.
- “Wolf” linebacker Cooper Taylor did some light running with a sleeve on his left knee
- With the Monday practice moved to Tuesday, I’d guess about 50 players made it to practice. The rest missed because of classes, as Larry wrote in the notebook. Linebacker Brad Jefferson, B-back Jonathan Dwyer, safeties Morgan Burnett and Dominique Reese were among those who arrived late or didn’t make it at all. It was so light, in fact, that when the quarterbacks split up to do drills with the wide receivers or the backs, quarterbacks coach Brian Bohannon had to take some reps.
- After injuring his left shoulder Saturday, quarterback Josh Nesbittt had a gold jersey on, meaning that he wasn’t to be hit.
- The defense worked on adjusting defensive fronts when offenses use motion, and some blitzes. It’s an interesting drill. The coaches set up five garbage cans, representing offensive linemen, and then have extra players pose as backs and receivers, and defensive coordinator Dave Wommack is the quarterback. The players line up in various spots or go in motion, and the defense has to adjust accordingly. Then, at the snap, the defensive linemen rush through the different gaps between the garbage cans according to how the different line stunts are called.
- Paul Johnson said that in the T-Day Game, it’ll be No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense vs. No. 2 offense and No. 1 defense, so the first teams will go against the first teams and the second teams will do likewise. There will be field goals and extra points with no rush and punts with fair catches.
So onto the kicking game. I’ll caution that I’m not sure there’s a ton I can say as far as “Scott Blair has been kicking the tar out of the ball” or “Chandler Anderson’s hang time is up by at least .2 seconds.” The team hasn’t really done much work on live field goal work. Mostly, Blair, Anderson and the other kickers/punters have been left to themselves except for when they’ve participated in the kickoff and punt return drills, which Tech has worked on a good bit. On the occasions I’ve watched Blair, he looks like he’s been kicking it pretty well. Mike Sewak, the o-line coach who oversees kicks, punts and snappers, noted that he has the most explosion, the most height and the most distance of any of the kickers.
I talked to Blair Tuesday – it’s in the notebook – and he gave some insight into how things were going.
“Going into spring, I was pretty well prepared. I was actually kicking really well, punting really well, just being real competitive in practice, trying to kick further, I got in a little slump in the middle of spring practice, and I’m starting to get out of it now,” he said.
He also said he was mostly working on kicks between the 30 and 40 and was starting to focus on his kicks in the low 40’s.
I imagine it might be a little unsatisfying to some of you that he’s limiting his kicks – about 20 per day, he said – when you might think the answer would be to practice until his leg fell off, given that he was 12 for 19 last season. But I’ll say this about Blair. He’s not an excuse maker and I think he knows his game and his leg a bit better than I do and, I assume, better than you do, as well.
It sounds like Tech will bring in preferred walk-ons to challenge Blair in the fall, which it sounds like when the competition will start. Brady Biggers, a kicker/punter from Walton who was named to the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s all-metro team, will be among them.
(You may wonder why Tech didn’t offer a scholarship to any kickers. The answer is that few schools do. First, the supply of kickers is so great that coaches don’t see a need to do so. Further, like other positions, good kickers in high school don’t always translate to good college kickers, so coaches don’t like using a scholarship on a kicker if he turns out to be a bust, because then he’s on your hands for four years. Generally, teams will wait to see who pans out and then put him on scholarship.)
Blair said he also knew of a punter from Florida.
Said Blair, “If he beats me out, he beats me out. It’ll be really good competition.”
I’d imagine that coaches probably wouldn’t mind it if someone beat out Blair for either kickoffs, field goals or punts. As I quoted Sewak as saying in the notebook, “[Blair] might be really superior if you let him do one or two (instead of all three).”
Not related to football
Tech beat Georgia in baseball in Athens Tuesday night.
Derrick Favors will sign his letter of intent this afternoon at 1 p.m. at South Atlanta High School. Larry will be there and should have something up online in the afternoon.
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99 comments Add your comment
Stranded in NYC
April 15th, 2009
1:33 pm
Is there anywhere we’ll be able to watch the T-Game online? or on TV?
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
1:35 pm
PTC Jacket, thank you for being reasonable. I respect GT and think they have a great program going. That offense last year was solid, but teams will figure it out (see LSU 38-3). While it’s great for GT to beat UGA first time in 8 years, it’s kind of sad to see so many fans who think 45-42 is a beat down. I mean seriously?? ACC was very weak last year, but GT has a shot. And for “who cares a lot”, are you high? UGA could never compete in the ACC? Seriously?? One final note, who cares where this CEO or that COO went to school? This is like a playground argument. Talk about football.
MinnesotaJacket
April 15th, 2009
2:01 pm
Milton…LSU didn’t figure out the offense…all it did was run its offense down our throats and force mistakes on special games…have you looked at the time of possession for that game?? I am trying to be reasonable but frankly when the common theme from UGA fans is IT WILL BE FIGURED OUT…look at all the experts because would they not agree with this, because not a single one sais that.
As for the ACC being weak please explain to me how you say that when in the regular season the ACC had a better winning percentage against out of conference teams than any other? Yes we did not have a front runner like a Florida, Texas, or Oklahoma instead the ACC boasted a conference in which was very well rounded from top to bottom.
Hey "Huh?"
April 15th, 2009
2:01 pm
I’ll tell you what’s sad….
45-42
67-62
11-6
and after every one of those losses I see your screen name pop up to talk trash?!?!? you must love pain and misery…..why else would you talk trash after every time your team loses again….freakin moron
Dawgilama
April 15th, 2009
2:18 pm
Don’t forget the most important of them all. Techies own the Dawgs in tickle piles!
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
2:23 pm
MinnesotaJKT: How many teams in NCAA DIV 1 are running that style of offense as of today? Teams do figure it out eventually. I did look at the box score for the LSU game..stats are almost completely identical, with the exception of GT having 2 fumbles lost. GT could not convert 3rd or 4th downs (3/15, 2/6). LSU’s defense figured it out. As far as the ACC comment is concerned, that was directed towards another tech blogger who stated UGA couldn’t compete in the ACC. Your out of conference games were against Miss St, Gardner Webb, J’ville St, & UGA. ACC was down last year. The best team had a 10-4 record (VA tech)..everyone else just beat each other up.
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
2:25 pm
MinnJKT: Please check out the ACC schedule for last year and look at every team and their out of conference teams they played. It is a laughing stock..McNeese St, Kent State, Furman, Charleston Southern, etc etc. There are high schools here in GA that could easily beat those teams.
Baba O'Riley
April 15th, 2009
2:42 pm
You forgot to include UGA in the ACC’s OOC schedule.
macrotech
April 15th, 2009
2:45 pm
lakerat, you’re boasting about a ceo of one of the MOST racist clubs in the country…. might want to rethink THAT one. Makes for easy bantor, regarding stereo-types. I think that both schools offer great academic opportunities for their respective students. Their respective programs are different. This, like MiltonDawg stated, is a playground argument. Huh?, from all the frustration that you’ve been spreading throughout Tech’s blogs…I’d say that your saddest moment was realizing that your beloved pups just got beat by the Yellow Jackets. Help yourself to a hanky! The longest streak belongs to Tech! Yet again, the pups came up short….seems to be a pattern. Stuck in SC, that would mean that your team got beat by a team that ’sucks’! BRILLIANT! GO TECH!!!
gtg7831j
April 15th, 2009
2:54 pm
lakerat, lets see, does Augusta National Golf Club have a market cap of $200B?………didn’t think so good try. He is not even the CEO, he is the Chairman, but, being a UGA fan you wouldn’t know the difference.
JB
April 15th, 2009
3:02 pm
Well, good to see our baseball team tell UGAY to eat a dugan last night. we hit 3 bombs and pounded them early. They were #1 again and 17-3 at home. STUNG BY THE BEES AGAIN! I have my broom ready on standby, one more shot for the dogs in may at turner field to tie the season series. You jokes still have gymnastics…so i will give you that! UGAY must be on suicide watch since they lost in football,basketball and saw the #1 team in ATHENS AGAIN, get spanked! I mean tech came out hitting rockets last night off chase hawkins who had a great college era of 2.88 coming in, Tech threw brandly who was 1-2 and a era of 4.61 coming in to last nights game. I LOVE IT!!!!!! You guys just stick to what your good at, thats sniffing butts and eating your own sh**! I’m gonna say its a fluke when you guys beat us at anything, since you seem to have forgotten how to do it! UGAY SUCKS!!!!!!! Enjoy being 2nd tier in all 3 major sports, becuase with our hoops class coming in{#4 nationally} and football{19 starters back}…i really can’t see too much success for you leghumpers in the near future!!!
THWG
gtg7831j
April 15th, 2009
3:02 pm
Miltondawg, I forgot UGA out of conference schedule was so hard too, Central Michigan, GA Southern, GT (Pre-Season #80). UGA had a bye week before the Tech game and still couldn’t figure it out. It is not hard to figure out, you either hand the ball off, pitch it or run it. It takes a real genius to figure out CPJ’s great secret. It is so much of a secert that fall camp was open to the public.
lakerat
April 15th, 2009
3:11 pm
gtg -
Put together the fortunes of the members, and the companies directed by the members at Augusta National, and I bet they add up to significantly more than $200B, and Billy gets to tell them all what to do. And, you do know, don’t you, that the chairmanship at Augusta National is way more important than any CEO of which Tech may want to brag.
macrotech, Augusta National is NOT the most racist as they have non-white members; that distinction belongs to Shoal Creek in AL.
Gordon
April 15th, 2009
3:12 pm
lakerat,
Ever heard of a Georgia Tech graduate named Bobby Jones? I may be mistaken, but I think he was associated with the Masters. In fact, he is the “Chairman in Perpetuity.” Go ask Billy Payne if you don’t believe me.
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
3:12 pm
Gtg7831j: Don’t forget about Ariz St and playing in toughest conference in college football. UGA had one of the hardest schedules last year..and obviously we had a hard time. UGA’s problem was not studying the offense as much and poor tackling. CPJ is a great coach, but it’s no secret. While were on this conversation, let’s look at 09 schedule. GT opens w/ J’ville St, @ Miss St, @ Vandy, and UGA at home. UGA opens @ OK St, Ariz St at home, and Tenn Tech. So, yeah, i would say UGA’s schedule is a lot harder than GT’s.
rainman
April 15th, 2009
3:21 pm
Ken, thanks for the update on the kicking game. I guess it will be a while before we know if there will be much improvement.
SugarHillDawg
April 15th, 2009
3:24 pm
JB, are you off or on your medication? You and EVERY Tech Nerd on this board knows that the best you LOSERS will EVER do is beat UGA about like what you are now–1 in 8 or 9 tries. I guess you are trying to convince yourself but you sure ain’t convincing RATIONAL people.
Area Sports Fan
April 15th, 2009
3:24 pm
University of Georgia graduates founded Synovus, Cousins Properties, Build-A-Bear, Nalley Automotive, Gold Kist, just to name a few.
Georgia CEOs? AFLAC, Georgia-Pacific, Primerica come to mind.
Milton is a moron
April 15th, 2009
3:25 pm
MILTONDAWG, you are an idiot to talk about our schedule! You guys play one weak ooc schedule yourself. We have added alabama and the vols to our schedule and tried to get the gators but meyer said does not want to play our system. That comment was in the ajc for all to read!! wow, you added colorado next year, well it’s only been about 20 years since they were worth a crap, tough add-on there… let me tell you. I find it intresting that the sagarin rating that came out at the end of the season had the acc as the best conference from top to bottom in the nation. Acc had 9 teams win 7 games or more. Our bottom feeder wake forest, beat ole miss…which BEAT FLORIDA, so what does that say?? The acc spanked the sec in the regular season and sec tied it 6-6 after showing up during the bowl games! The sec had 4 good teams and the rest stunk! Good teams beat up on each other, not like having 3 teams dominate the entire sec? 3 OR 4 TEAMS DON’T MAKE AN ENTIRE CONFERENCE JERKOFF! Its balance that determines the strength, the ACC has plenty of balance and if the acc is so bad, then i guess since uga lost to Tech, that makes you guys about what, 4th or 5th best in the ACC behind our 3rd in the overall???
SugarHillDawg
April 15th, 2009
3:26 pm
Oh yeah BTW, you sure you aren’t related mentally to Ramble On and M?????
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
3:34 pm
Well somebody had some poopy in the cereal this morning. Call me what you want to make yourself look better, i’ll be the more classy/mature man. Do me a favor, go to yahoo.com, look at GT’s schedule and every other ACC team from last year and this year. Then look at the SEC’s. NC champs belong to SEC for the past 3 years. Come back to the blogs when you have knowledge that actually goes outside of North Ave.
MiltonDawg
April 15th, 2009
3:35 pm
Oh and Kudos to you for being so tough and smart to not even post a real name. Definetly speaks volumes about the individuals on here.
Dawgilama
April 15th, 2009
3:41 pm
Everyday, my company requires it’s employees to participate in a 30 minute tickle pile. Does that mean a Techie is probably calling the shots around here?
MinnesotaJacket
April 15th, 2009
3:42 pm
Milton really??? I am pretty sure everyone here has talked about the top teams in the ACC all THREE OF THEM, so your last comment is stupid, and when UGA fans start talking about good they are through another team that sounds pretty pathetic. I will go look at the schedules and then I will see what the experts SAY about the schedule…congrats you had one of the hardest PRE-SEASON schedules…but hey you know all about the PRE-SEASON RINGS and championships right???
JB
April 15th, 2009
3:51 pm
SugarHillDawg, perhaps you should lay-off the kool-aid. When you want to bring up history and live in the past, since you can’t live in the present {45-42}….I point to our 4 national championships to your 1!! Football has been around since before hoover was president and you could muster but 1? Come talk to me when you put more of the real TROPHIES THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT IN YOUR GLASS CASE, until then, you can’t say sh**!!
Better yet, how about when you even pass us in bowl winning percentage!! Since the existence of college football, YOU ARE 2ND TIER TO GEORGIA TECH IN BOTH! All teams lineup for a national championship’s on saturday’s, so quit running your mouth on this thread and join the rest of criminal u in athens on your own blog! YOU DON’T MEASURE ON THIS BLOG, COME BACK WHEN YOU GOT SOMETHING BETTER TO SAY THAN BRINGING UP LAST THE 7 YEARS, BECAUSE ALL I GOT TO SAY IS 4 TO 1…….AND 45-42! Feel free to live in the present day, and remember we can throw this in your face when you want to stroll down memory lane!
Now before you go bail a uga football player out of jail, jump on ebay and buy yourself one of those sugar bowl rings and have a GREAT DAY!
45-42, 67-61, 11-6…..Great to be a yellowjacket!
BLAZER
April 15th, 2009
3:52 pm
WHY DISCUSS CONFERENCES AND SCHEDULES AND STUFF WITH THE OTHER PEOPLE?
STILL 45-42!
PTC Jacket
April 15th, 2009
3:55 pm
MiltonDawg:
Why don’t you get three more NC’s and then talk to us. Sound good?
DDT=dumbdogturd
April 15th, 2009
4:01 pm
Auburn, Tenn, UK, SC, Miss St, Arkansas, Vandy were all terrible for most of the season last year, give me a break. Duke…i repeat DUKE came into Vandy and beat them. SEC was seriously down last year, you are a moronic homer if you believe otherwise. The ACC had no top team, but no teams were nearly as bad as Tenn, Auburn, Miss St, UK
JB
April 15th, 2009
4:03 pm
YAWN
Dawgilama
April 15th, 2009
4:31 pm
We’ve actually got 2 National Championships, but whatever. I’m not your average Dawg fan. I could care less about a win or loss against Tech. That loss didn’t make or break our season…That would’ve been the Florida and Bama games. We finished Top 15 and had a “bad” season by our standards. I actually enjoyed watching this past season’s game…in the rain…which definitely played into Tech’s favor. Sure, you guys beat us fair and square, but anyone with any sense can compare the recent success between the two programs. It’s just not close. AND, it’s just the opposite when it comes to basketball. Tech has a much better basketball program, but UGA beats Tech occasionally. Sure, we have the better “overall” record against UF, but they have owned us more recently….No different than how we own Tech. I can’t even remember the score when we beat UF, because it really doesn’t matter.
Sucks to be a nerd!
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 15th, 2009
4:32 pm
Don’t forget our CEO who happens to own the fleabags favorite spot for Thanksgiving and Easter dinners. WAFFLE HOUSE!!!
Dawgilama
April 15th, 2009
4:45 pm
and your governor?
Supersize that order, mutt
April 15th, 2009
4:51 pm
Since when does the CHAIRMAN (NOT CEO) of a private club rank up there with Fortune 500 CEO’s? I have the upmost respect for Billy Payne, even though he did graduate from UGAG, but his job is certainly not one of the most important or significant positions of leadership in this country. As far as the Augusta National being racist, that is pure BS. There are several non-white members and have been for years. And since that position seems so important to whoever posted that comment, I need to remind you that the Augusta National and the Masters Tournament were founded by Bobby Jones, the greatest golfer of all time, who graduated from Georgia Tech.
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 15th, 2009
4:53 pm
At least our Governor is smart enough to send his kid to GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 15th, 2009
4:59 pm
Sorry, Dawgilama, Georgia only has ONE recognized National Championship in football. Check the following link for proof:
http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/football/college/collegechampionship.htm
That link lists 3 for Tech (1917, 1928, and 1990). The 4th one which Tech claims (and was awarded by some polls) was in 1952, when for whatever reason, a Michigan State team who went 9-0 with NO bowl game was awarded the championship over Tech who went 12-0 WITH a bowl game. The ONLY ONE listed for Georgia is 1980
Dawgilama
April 15th, 2009
5:09 pm
So, me claiming 2 is no different than JB claiming 4, and I was merely responding to JB saying “4 to 1″. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. Yale, Harvard, and Princeton have us both beat.
RAMBLE ON!!!, OK, our Governor is smart enough to send his son to Tech, but he’s also smart enough to be your Governor. How bout the previous Governor? Take a guess.
Tickle Pile on 2, on 2. Down set hut…hut!
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 15th, 2009
5:17 pm
tickle, tickle.
http://bp1.blogger.com/_aBun-fJmULo/Rjn63vBwcsI/AAAAAAAAAII/3dZKDBhm2Nc/s1600-h/Pic__3__Stafford_and_Cox__of_course_Cox_is_on_the_ground_.jpg
Supersize that order, mutt
April 15th, 2009
5:48 pm
Dawgilama, I posted this once, but it still hasn’t appeared, so I will try again. Check the following link for a comprehensive look at ALL the “claimed” national championships for all teams. You will find Tech listed 6 times and Georgia 5 times. Most of those additional championships were awarded by very obscure polling services. In fact in 1967, Georgia was awarded the championship by one service, and they had an 8-2-1 record. Ohio State was the consensus champion with a 10-0 record. Regardless, however, Tech still has more championships in its history than does Georgia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I-A_national_football_championship
Hey Dawgilima
April 15th, 2009
6:03 pm
Be honest with me…how do these numbers make you feel right about now?
45-42 (football)
67-62 (basketball)
11-6 (baseball)
There’s a reason this blog is packed with Dawg fans. You hate us so much when you lose and you just lost again last night……
BS Patrol
April 15th, 2009
6:25 pm
Doggielama, The “overall” record you refer to reduces to 3-2. You call that “owning”? You own Carson, Fulcher,Curry & Lewis. I’ll give you that one. But the AD’s that hired those bums should have their nads run over by a steamroller. They dug Tech a hole vs. Ga that will take a while to erase.
BS Patrol
April 15th, 2009
6:36 pm
I left out Gailey.
Sudheer
April 15th, 2009
7:00 pm
Did someone say that UGA actually used their admissions requirements for athletes. 94% of UGA football players were admitted on “special admission requirements” from 1999-2004 and almost 80% were admitted this year on special admissions. Geogia Tech only admits 10% of its athletes in all sports on special admissions. and 9% in football. UGA might turn down more “nonathletes” students than Tech, but that is because they get ten times more applications. So ratatouille, you are wrong there.
JB
April 15th, 2009
8:55 pm
MiltonDawg, i just don’t understand why you guys don’t understand bragging rights? YOU got beat this past season and it is a year to year boasting! Get over it and patrol your own blogs with you own fans. I have never in my life ever got on a uga thread! I don’t care to….When we lose i don’t see every excuse in the book pulled out. We got beat bad by lsu and it was not a good showing for us. Niether was bama and uf on national tv for you guys! You didn’t compete in either game and we stunk it up against lsu. This blog is for tech fans to chat about our team and players but then you ugay fans come on talk down the acc and talk about 7 straight….blah blah blah! You really can’t talk about the past to tech fans unless you want to hear the entire history and we can throw our accomplishments in your face which to be honest, are a bit more stout than yours. It’s all about the championships!
Uga has had a good run under cmr, and now i believe we have a coach who will put us on the map as well! A good thing doesn’t last forever, and i think the tide will change in this series! If you guys want to keep this within current times, then 45-42 is what your dealt with and we hope to see you in atlanta for a great game! Just stop with the excuses, and learn to accept the winning with the losing, victory and defeat! Heck, i want you guys to roll into atlanta without a loss!
Gooooooo jackets!!!
Hal Vernon
April 15th, 2009
10:25 pm
Let me get this straight. Someone posting as Milton Dog is hazing someone for not posting under a real name? I can’t make this stuff up! What a moron!
Empty Bleachers
April 15th, 2009
10:41 pm
Wow! What a fund raising team we’ve got at Tech! Our alumni don’t contribute enough money nor buy enough season tickets, so our marketing department decided to make up for it by price gouging the UGA fans for the Georgia game. Once again we are gonna be carried by Georgia Football.
I hope we can round up at least a thousand people to watch the game this Saturday. By the way, history doesn’t favor the option attack after year one in the modern era. So we have two guys who would be fourth string in Athens at WR? Plus a bunch of walk-ons? Don’t look now but I think the only passing we’re gonna see is the pitch and shuttle variety.
I think CPJ needs to drop some random drug tests…some of the guys are chanting “National Champs” at practices. Looks like our boys are going the Joe Hamilton route…why does our campus have to be the highest in crack head per capita ratio? We are helluva engineers, we should be able to engineer athletes without drugs and class skipping, let alone a helluva remedial program.
macrotech
April 16th, 2009
2:38 am
lakerat, I said, “one of the most racist”. This makes room for other clubs. The Augusta National ONLY permitted a person of color to join it’s membership when the Olympics were in Atlanta and they were trying to get them to permit golf as an event. Obviously, the National would have been the premier choice of courses. No way was this going to happen unless the members relented on their long history of all white membership. No way, in this day and age, could they go back to ‘the good ole days’… It was only a few years ago that the Augusta National stopped mandating that all golfers had use their caddies…..guess what color THEY were? Racism is racism… any measure! For the record, I am a caucasion. I’m a Tech fan! AND, we won!!!! GO TECH! AGAIN!
SugarHillDawg
April 16th, 2009
7:38 am
Wow, I didn’t know it was THAT dominating.12 times in 40 years and 3 or 4 of those wins Tech had involved them using ineligible players so it looks even worse for the NERDS! Big B Ch99, I guess that’s your excuse for the ACC being second rate huh??
snapshot
April 16th, 2009
8:03 am
mutt fans are annoyed for sure. They got a Yellow Jacket Nest under their double wide.
The GT Phoenix is rising
April 17th, 2009
9:10 pm
So let me set this record spinning… I grew up ALWAYS going for Tech. Georgia has definitely run up a good streak on us, after all numbers dont lie… National Championships(recognized) GT-4 UGA-1, Win-Loss VS. 59-39-5 UGA over TECH. This is a new era for both programs now though and the fire is definitely on UGA’s feet after last years loss. While it does feel great to have the “W” next to the schedule we have to remember one thing at that game… ALL BETS ARE OFF!!!!
Next season looks to be very promising, but lets just wait until our favorite saturday of the year in 2009! Georgia should thank GT every time they play them being that GT was a Charter member of the SEC.