Saturday’s practice in the books
Backup quarterback Jaybo Shaw’s broken collarbone is by far the most significant injury the team has sustained this young season.
Yes, Shaw was second-string, but many of you saw how valuable he was to the team last year as a freshman.
Shaw hasn’t been able to participate in all of the practices this month because of a concussion, but he has looked good when he has been in there.
However, don’t despair Tech fans. Tevin Washington doesn’t have any game experience, but he has looked very good in practices throwing the ball, well at least he has to this untrained eye. He had a very pretty touchdown pass in Saturday’s scrimmage as well, throwing a high pass into the corner.
Of course, that’s a small part of Tech’s offense. Can he make the right reads running the ball? That’s a question I hope to ask and get an answer to this week. Last year’s Gardner-Webb game proved that you’ve got to have a QB who can run with the ball, and not just pass the ball.
Should Shaw miss six weeks, as Johnson guessed, that would put him back to practice for the week of the Mississippi State game. If he misses eight weeks, I would guess he’d likely redshirt, but that’s just a guess.
————————
Jonathan Dwyer says he’s still working to get into football shape. Those at Thursday’s, Friday’s or Saturday’s practice likely saw him running a few sprints afterward, as he tries to drop a few pounds. He said after Saturday’s practice that he wants to to do it to be a bit quicker and more explosive. He looked strong and fast on Saturday, bulling his way for a touchdown.
———————–
Freshmen Stephen Hill, Orwin Smith, Izaan Cross and Robert Godhigh all looked good on Saturday. Hill had two catches, Smith had a long run, Cross made at least two tackles, and Godhigh put some people on the ground again with blocks. Emmanuel Dieke spent some time with the first-string defensive line, or what looked like the first-string line. Redshirt freshman T.J. Barnes did as well.
———————-
Does Shaw’s injury change your outlook on the season? If so, why?
And, as always, you can follow me on twitter @ajcgatech
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88 comments Add your comment
superDawg
August 15th, 2009
7:43 pm
I know teks defense is suspect,and now you are down to one qb.You guys might understand UGA’S SITUATION LAST YEAR.I bet you don’t win seven games this year.GOOD LUCK.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
August 15th, 2009
8:29 pm
Hopefully, we will have at least a couple of 4th quarters where Tevin can get some game experience. Get well, Jaybo. The guy does take some wicked hits in practice, mainly because he runs with his pads very high, but he is a tough son of a gun, especially for his size and build.
I am very glad to hear that T.J. Barnes is coming on, because if he can force blockers to deal with him, our ends (especially Morgan) can get more freed up to create havoc in the backfield!
Season is getting close, and the excitement is ever-increasing. I cannot wait for year 2 under CPJ!! It will be fun to watch.
Go Jackets!!!
BS Patrol
August 15th, 2009
8:38 pm
I’ve had my collarbone broken 3 or 4 times. Played one season with one. My a-hole of a coach was fond of saying,”tape an aspirin on it”. I was not passing the ball, however.
Clay
August 15th, 2009
9:20 pm
The article clearly states Dwyer is not in shape:
Jonathan Dwyer says he’s still working to get into football shape. Those at Thursday’s, Friday’s or Saturday’s practice likely saw him running a few sprints afterward, as he tries to drop a few pounds
Dwyer’s only job in the off season was to stay in shape, and he didn’t. The season starts in 3 weeks and your feature back is not ready. The article did not offer an opinion–it said that Dwyer himself said he’s not in football shape. He sat around all summer drinking the Kool Aid instead of working.
kj
August 15th, 2009
9:46 pm
clay ask UGA defenders what kind of shape Dwyer stays in……the kid is ready to go….”football shape” means more than just losing weight….getting your body prepaired for taking hits etc is getting into football shape…..there are no worries about his work ethic, he is a beast and the most NFL ready running back in the country…..6′ 235 and 4.4 40……
tommy
August 15th, 2009
9:54 pm
I would redshirt Jaybo. You said Washington can pass. I know he can run, I watched him last spring. I think we will be alright if washington knows what he is doing. We have to have someone who is always ready to go. This offense we have is rough on a qb. I hope Nesbitt can stay healthy. He is awesome to watch when he is.
GM
August 15th, 2009
10:01 pm
If Dwyer is not in shape now, he will be before the Dawgs come to town. If not, there’s always Roddy Jones etc, etc, etc, etc.
I like Shaw, but he seems too fragile for college ball.
Joe Schmoe
August 15th, 2009
10:11 pm
I dont think this is a big loss, since we have capable backups in Tevin Washington,and either Sims or Luallen, who have played in the system. All that matters is Nesbitt. He is our key, like most other teams. That would be the same for like the FL gators if something happened to Tebow. Same situation.
Doug Roberson
August 15th, 2009
10:12 pm
Dudes, he’s in shape. It’s just a few pounds he’s trying to drop. Watching him in practice, he looks plenty fast, and gets through the line seemingly as quickly as last year. I wouldn’t sweat it.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
August 15th, 2009
11:17 pm
Doug: Nobody is sweating. Clay is just trying to get some of us Jackets going a little. Thanks again for keeping the reports coming. I really missed your report yesterday.
Go Jackets!!
meat cleaver weaver
August 16th, 2009
12:10 am
No mo Jaybo. What will the Jackalopes do now?
GT9
August 16th, 2009
1:08 am
Thanks for the info, Doug. Will this be the last practice report that we read from you this season?
Jaybo’s given us a 100% and provided excellent relief last year against Mississippi State, Duke, and UG. He’s really tough and I hope he has a speedy and sound recovery. Tevin’s going to do a really good job as our back-up. (That was a good looking pass to Paige for a TD.) The question is how fast Sims can get up to speed. It hurts a little that we’ll have to burn a red-shirt on him.
Cross and Wilson looked fantastic at practice. We’ll be stronger at DE than we were last year. Our linebackers look a lot better so far. J. Burnett keeps improving and might provide more quality depth at LB. Sylvester’s looking good too. Sweeting is going to be a shut down corner for us.
Orwin Smih is coming along great. He’s going to add a lot of firepower for us.
Good luck to Baylie, too. Also to C. King’s hamstring.
Anybody who respects the game hates to see a kid get injured.
Not Disappointed
August 16th, 2009
2:02 am
Get well soon Jaybo! Thank you Dawgs that are classy on the site today. Nobody wants to see a player get hurt.
Ramblin Wreck!
Tokyo jacket
August 16th, 2009
2:29 am
The very in depth report at rivals.com said the O-line and the offense in general were as good as they’ve been all year. They also reported that Tevin might have been the best passer of the day, of course he was facing the 3rd string. I think he’ll get plenty of PT against JSU, the U, and Miss St plus maybe Clemson. Here’s looking forward to seeing significant success this year.
For those suggesting Dwyer might not be as good as he was last year, he dragged three of our better defenders 6 yards into the end zone. Also, I think Jaybo going down will prove how important it was based on whether or not Nes stays healthy or not. I think he will. More consistent O-line play and better A/B back play will lead to fewer hits on Dwyer.
I can’t wait to see 150 yds passing and 300 yds rushing per game!
re, injuries during practice
August 16th, 2009
9:10 am
SCarolina coach Sp does not allow hard hits on his QB during practice. Is that good or bad ?
atl-xmen
August 16th, 2009
9:22 am
well that makes 1 qb down and 4 to go. that little guy took a beating last year and so did nesbitt. this offense will make you have at least 3 qb touching the ball during 1 game due to your qb taking huge hits from the defenses best player. telling you this gimmick off is better with the lower div teams where there are not so many studs getting free hits on the starting qb..i feel bad for the little guy shaw.
nesbit will be next..i can feel it
GA Tech Insider
August 16th, 2009
9:25 am
Clay;
If you would have read Jonathan Dwyer’s live chat, on ramblinwreck.com, the official site of GA Tech athletics, on Monday, July 20th, starting at 10:15 AM, you would have read that Jonathan personally said that he was actually now in the upper 220’s, as compared to being in the lower 230’s at the end of last year, and he ssaid that he’s faster today than he was at the end of last season.
Don’t believe everything you’re reading in the AJC, son.
Paddy
August 16th, 2009
9:46 am
Clay…. football shape, playing shape,conditioning or whatever you want to call it is different for evey player. Try remembering back to your playing days? That peak hits players at different times because of their physical make up. My guess is that Dwyer and his coaches are very aware of what needs to be accomplished prior to his opening game. I say, not to worry.
superDawg
August 16th, 2009
10:02 am
teknoligee
Saint Simons
August 16th, 2009
10:58 am
just a reminder !!!!!!!! 45 – 42 hahahahahahhahahahahahahaha
GT Rich
August 16th, 2009
11:27 am
I’ve been to several practices and scrimmages; Tevin will be fine so long as he doesn’t have to handle the whole game. His deep ball floats a little. He seems to make decent reads on the running plays. Definitely tougher to tackle than Jaybo. Odds are, when he gets in the game he will call his own number. Too bad Luallen is injured and missing valuable snaps in practices. The offense looks sooo good with Nesbitt; I expect he’ll be able to run up the scores in a hurry, then Tevin comes in before Nesbitt has a chance to get hurt.
GT fan ...
August 16th, 2009
12:42 pm
Does Jaybo’s injury concern me? Not really.
IMO:
It was obvious last season that Jaybo had a much better grasp of PJ’s offense than did J-Nes. Jaybo was better with his reads, cut-back runs against persuit, and passing. He just simply doesn’t have the physical tools & speed that J-Nes has, and it showed in games vs. the bigger boys (i.e. FSU, UNC, Miami, and GA). And it’s also envident in the injuries he’s sustained in the past 15 months at Tech (3 concussions, and now a broken collar bone).
I’m hear to say it again …… TEVIN WASHINGTON. And from what I’m reading, David Sims is apparently a nice fit for PJ’s system too. Sims also has nice physical tools: 5′11” 205 lbs, and fast. TW ain’t bad either: 6′1″ 203 lbs (faster than Jaybo), and a good passer. I’m leaving out J.Luallen: 6′4″ 206lbs, 4th string.
Jaybo at 6′0″ 190lbs. We all know that’s bigger than he was last year, and he’s STILL the little guy. IF Gardner-Webb happens in 2009, I’ll bet the mortgage that GT’s 3rd string QB will run PJ’s O waaaaay better than Booker did. Depth, the Jackets have it @ QB in 2009 even with Jaybo off the depth chart. IMO – he [Jaybo] should redshirt, work on adding 15lbs of muscle, and LOWERING his 40 time. If not, I think he’ll be in an almost impossible position of beating out TW, DS, or JL.
I don’t even know why I’m indulging him, but to the idiot that suggested Dwyer is out shape …… he’s probably as close to being out-of-shape as TJ Barnes is to being anorexic.
BleedWhiteNGold
August 16th, 2009
1:22 pm
Clay give it a rest, the kid has three weeks to drop 10lbs or so, players say they drop up to 5lbs in a practice…you are trying to find any reason to put down Dywer because yours players still cant see anything but the back of his jersey…please go back to breeding with your sister.
Love,
Jacket Faithful
BleedWhiteNGold
August 16th, 2009
1:24 pm
your players*
Clay
August 16th, 2009
3:01 pm
I still think it’s funny that you chose to jump on me when all I did was point out what Dwyer said about his condition. I didn’t offer an opinion. The author of the article didn’t offer an opinion. I just commented on what Dwyer himself said about his condition this close to the start of the season. If none of you are concerned about this, then you are not being realistic.
Toh3llwithgeorgia
August 16th, 2009
3:08 pm
Jaybo will be back you guys know that right? And plus Tevin Washington had a really good spring game. I’m not too worried, we’ll be fine.
Go Jackets, and to Hell with Georgia.
GA Tech Insider
August 16th, 2009
4:31 pm
Clay; you spoke of no facts and treated them as facts. You merely repeated things reporters from the AJC shoveled you.
Like I said, if you would have bothered to read Jonathan’s live chat on the official ramblingwreck site, you would have gotten the information directly from Jonathan himself.
His weight is down from last season and his speed is up from last season. Is that clear enough for you? Go read it for yourself, that is, of course, if you are capable of conducting an internet search instead of just believing anything, and everything, the local UGA-slanted press spouts off.
Like I said before, Clay, any player that becomes complacent, and thinks that they’ve already made it to the big time and doesn’t need to work hard anymore is not a candidate to become an All American.
Jonathan Dwyer wasn’t, and still isn’t, satisfied that he was in the best shape he could be in, because if he was, that could lead him to relax or let up on his exercise routines. This isn’t rocket science, son.
GT66
August 16th, 2009
4:40 pm
Good news. Burnett passed the fall drug test. My sources say only 1 player failed and he is a back up DTackle so no big deal. Sorry to Jaybo and his family.
GA Tech Insider
August 16th, 2009
5:42 pm
GT66;
Other than the post about Jaybo, please keep this types of comments to yourself.
Now, regarding “Burnett” and a “failed drug test,” any “source” you might have would be subject to criminal and civil penalties, so I highly doubt comments.
If your “source” has pulled confidential files, I’m sure a few of us will be hearing about it relatively soon, and if it’s the case, I can assure you, if there’s someone whose providing this information to you, we’ll ferret them out and they’ll be prosecuted.
My guess is that you are nothing more than a blowhard UGA fan trying to stir up trouble.
Why else would you be slandering young men who are not only playing college football at a top tier program, but are also earning a college degree from one of the finest institutes of higher learning in the world as well at the same time?
If, for some crazy reason, you are a GA Tech fan, then I would suggest to you to take some meds, go to bed, and try to write like an honorable, GA Tech person tomorrow. You obviously can’t do it tonight.
Ga Tech Insider
August 16th, 2009
6:06 pm
And one last thing GT 66, your “sources” have been wrong more than once. I am privy to most confidential information in the Athletics Dept. The fall drug test aren’t given until Sept. The Summer drug test were given in July. 3 players were positive. 2 for Marijuana and 1 for prescrition Cialas. Please don’t post until your facts are accurate.
superDawg
August 16th, 2009
9:30 pm
Hang on j-bo and get well.The DAWGS are looking forward to seeing you healthy.
GTPUG
August 16th, 2009
10:45 pm
No – - he will be ready in 6 – 8 weeks and if he is not he will Red Shirt this season and the next one in line will fill in – Tech will not skip a beat
Sorry pup fans you are still going to get you @$$ kicked by the Jackets
“TO HELL WITH GEORGIA”
ShutUpMutt
August 17th, 2009
12:18 am
Redshirting Jaybo isn’t a bad idea. He can bulk up this year and be in great shape next season.
calvin
August 17th, 2009
10:21 am
Depressing injuries often result in other players stepping up,
doing better than expected, and creating new excitement.
Don’t forget when Shaw took over the Mississippi State game right
near the beginning last year, played the whole game, and it
resulted in a dominant victory over Mississippi State. (This
game always seems forgotten by the writers, who don’t count it
as a start.) This is no time for despair. By the time Shaw
comes back we may have two fine backup quarterbacks.
Trade School Junkie
August 17th, 2009
5:30 pm
I agree with GT Fan.
Its not healthy that Jaybo has already had 3 concussions in 15 months.
I have to wonder why so many concussions. CPJ even commented that Jaybo has had his helmet knocked off 4 times recently.
Is he just getting completely blindsided, or perhaps making risky play decisions that have a tendency to result in injuries, notably hits to the head.
A RS would be the safest/healthiest route to take here, which I think CPJ & Jaybo will decide is the correct choice.
Even as a RS, Jaybo is a huge asset to tis team, because as a son of a coach that ran the option at Flowery Branch, he knows the offense. That experience & knowledge is still a huge asset to other QBs and the team in general.
I also agree that there is sufficient QB depth on the roster that we’ll be OK.
Arob
August 17th, 2009
6:27 pm
Superdawg,
Thanks for thIe classy comments about an injured Jacket. But don’t despair. Your Dawgs won’t see Shaw again. If Nesbitt goes down Washington will be ready to step in. And the dropoff won’t be like last year when Shaw came in and got pounded by your Dawgs. There is a reason Washington was redshirted last year. PJ was looking to the future and Shaw was a suitable sacrifice last year because he could manage the game.
Dawghater
August 17th, 2009
6:27 pm
It’s always a shame when a kid gets hurt. If PJ is doing his job he should have someone lined up behind Jaybo to take the reins and be prepared when needed. It’s time for someone to step up. Hopefully in six weeks Jaybo will have redshirted this season and he will not be needed and adds one more year of maturity.
Dawghater
August 17th, 2009
6:28 pm
Super dawg. You’ll be seeing Nesbitt, and Dywer and Allen and more yards and more yards!