Paul Johnson transcript
Courtesy of Georgia Tech’s sports information department, a transcript of Paul Johnson’s press conference on Tuesday:
Opening Statement:
“I was proud of our guys after the Virginia game. It’s another streak that people liked to talk about that our team put an end to. I don’t know if we played our best game of the year. You have to give the kids from Virginia a lot of credit, they played hard. But, we did enough to find a way to win the game. Once we got deep into the third quarter, we felt good about where we were. It was a concern that for the second week in a row we started out committing penalties on offense and hurting ourselves by stopping drives. On the first drive, we had a fourth and short that we were getting ready to go for and we jumped offside’s. Then, we take it into the end zone and have a chop block that wiped four points off the scoreboard. That’s a concern. On the flip side, I thought we did a good job defensively, especially in the first half. We held them and made them kick some field goals. If you can do that [not giving up touchdowns] you usually have a pretty good chance to win the game. All-in-all, we played ok and won the game. It just makes this week’s game that much bigger.”
On Vanderbilt:
“I have a great deal of respect for [Vanderbilt head coach] Bobby [Johnson]. We’ve played against each other a lot. He and his staff do a great job and they’ll have their team ready to play. I think they’re a much better team than their record would indicate. They’ve played some teams close, coming off last week’s 14-10 loss at South Carolina. I think they’re in the top 25 in scoring defense and they usually don’t beat themselves. We’re going to have to go on the road to their place and play well.”
On the importance of Saturday’s game with Vanderbilt, despite it being an out-of-conference game:
“I think our football team, to be a special one, has to go out and want to win every game. I can’t imagine ever playing a game where you didn’t feel like it was important, not me anyway. We hear a lot about the SEC here and there’s always comparisons between the two leagues. We have an opportunity this year to play three SEC teams and this is our second one. So, we’ll see how we measure up against them.”
On worries of the team letting down against Vanderbilt:
“I’m not worried about that. I hope our guys are mature enough to realize that Vanderbilt is a good football team. We’re playing against the SEC, we’re not supposed to be able to compete. It’s a chance for our guys to match up with [an SEC team] again. Like I said, I know what we’re walking into. I’m sure it’s a game [Vanderbilt] feel they can win. Why wouldn’t they, they’ve played everyone on their schedule close. Georgia blew the game open late with some kick returns, but that was a pretty close game throughout. The rest of their games have been close. They played LSU tough in Baton Rouge. They have a pretty good football team. Their record is deceiving, I think.”
On success of the offense in the second half of the last two games:
“Like I said earlier, in the last two games, we’ve hurt ourselves early on with penalties. It would interesting to go back and see how many times in the last three or four games where a drive hasn’t been stopped by a penalty. I think you would see that it hasn’t happened a lot. We’ve kind of inflicted that on ourselves, which is tough to overcome. ”
On Virginia Tech safety Kam Chancellor’s accusations of illegal blocks occurring in the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game:
“I don’t know, I don’t pay any attention to what players say. That game was two weeks ago and its over with. He has his opinion. I think there’s more publicity and exposure now; I don’t think the officiating has changed. I’ve said before, I wouldn’t want to do their job and I think those guys do a great job. But, they’re human, they’re going to miss calls just like coaches aren’t going to call the perfect play every time. Now, because of all of the TV coverage and the internet, boy if they miss one, it’s documented for everyone to see over and over again. There’s a lot of scrutiny put on them. There’s a lot of judgment calls in a football game that opposing fans are going to disagree on. I think, overall, officials do a good job for what we ask them to do.”
On the improvements of the defense:
“We’re getting a lot closer to having a base system on defense, similar to what we have on offense. You add a wrinkle or two every week and guys get better adjusted to that. You know where weaknesses are, so you know where to tweak it if guys are getting hurt. The last few weeks, we’ve been better against the run. Virginia Tech gashed us a little bit, but that was on quarterback scrambles for the most part. Virginia had a very tough time running the ball. We’ve also been fortunate in that we haven’t had to run many plays on defense. We’ve done a good job getting teams off the field and the offense is doing a great job of staying on the field. We’re still no where we want to be, though.”
On if it is expected that opposing teams will alter play calling early in games in order to get an advantage on Georgia Tech:
“I think teams will start doing that. I think we saw a little bit of that on Saturday with Virginia taking the ball first. Most of the time I don’t know why we have a coin toss; if we win it we defer, if they win it they receive. I think that people want to try to get ahead. They feel like they get behind the eight ball if we score first. It varies from team-to-team.”
On depth of the offensive line:
“I think the backups are getting better. The more reps they take the better thy’re going to get. They played some snaps on Saturday and they’re going to have to play more from now on out. The concern you always have as you get deeper into the year is the depth issue raises its head. We’re playing 11 straight games and our guys have been pushing through pretty good, but their still beat up, as you can imagine. So, we’re going to need the backups to play more.”
On if things are improving on the recruiting trail with the Yellow Jackets’ success on the year, especially on offense:
“I don’t think there’s been any difference. I never really found a problem with it before. I think it was something that people wanted to make a problem and I think its going to be a little harder for opposing coaches to get into a kids ear now. I was happy to see that Demaryius Thomas is a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, because there goes a lot of the opposing thoughts of “Why would you go there, you can never get any notoriety as a receiver.” But, I’m just happy for him because he’s worked so hard and he’s earned it. Certainly, if we can finish out the year and have a great year, it will probably be positive and help. But, we have all our commitments lined up and had them before the season started.”
On being named to the watch list for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award:
“To me, that says more about your football team and your assistant coaches than anything else. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some really good teams and win some coach of the year awards and those kinds of things. They say more about your players and your assistant coaches than anything else in my opinion.”
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125 comments Add your comment
Alabama Jack
October 27th, 2009
7:39 pm
Damn Good Coach – now lets BEAT VANDY !!!
Big Boys?
October 27th, 2009
7:44 pm
AZ Jacket, I was telling doubters to stick to their OLD repertoire…
I’m so glad we have CPJ instead of Chan Gomer.
k-money
October 27th, 2009
7:44 pm
Yeah we could go 11-1 win the ACC and not sniff the NC, but it will be so much easier next year when we start the year in the top 5. Get used to it. THWG
Nate
October 27th, 2009
7:49 pm
Slick sounds like a good man. Personally, I’ve got nothing against the Athens Dawgs, but I think firing Richt is a little premature of a decision that most ‘fans’ support. Richt is a good man with good morals, but is stuck with some horrible coordinators that are embarrassing the program. Best of luck on Saturday. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that GA wins, but you guys could make it interesting.
Let’s beat Vandy and stay focused Tech!
Go Jackets!
Tech Fan in Athens
October 27th, 2009
7:54 pm
Well, Ive seldom agreed with a UGA fan (or any guy called Slick) but until Navy waved a teary goodbye to Ball Johnson, I would have WELCOMED a CMR clone in the ATL. Richt is a class act and a very good coach; one who wants to stay at UGA for a long time and isn’t interested in Notre Dame or LSU or Bama or the Miami Dolphins. I can only hope that so many rabid Dog fans get their wish and he DOES leave for more knowledgeable fans (like Slick) at a school in some remote part of the country. I see him around Athens and have known some of his asst coaches and I cant stress enough the regard they have for him (and his wife). Of course, I still hope he loses EVERY game he coaches. Just win, Coach Johnson. One game at a time.
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
8:00 pm
SLICK with no trick! or Treat……………….
macrotech
October 27th, 2009
8:08 pm
How bout dem dawgs?!…. just kidding! It sure is fun being a Tech fan!!! CPJ is EXACTLY what we needed and all our nay sayers are all the proof you need! GO TECH!!!
gtne80
October 27th, 2009
8:11 pm
If I ever had any respect for Beamer, I’ve totally lost it over the last couple of days. This whole thing, accusing GT of cheating and then “apologizing” is nothing but a cheap ploy. VT can’t win the division without GT losing again. So he resorts to trying to get the refs to call some costly penalties against us over the next few games hoping they will make a difference in our game agains Wake and/or Duke. How much do you want to bet that we get flagged at least a couple of times in the next few games over ticky-tack blocks because the refs are concentrating on it? Talk about low blows!
Jackets Keep Rollin
October 27th, 2009
8:23 pm
Earlier this year ESPN wrote on LSU’s (narrower than expected) win over Vandy (at home): “Any win against an SEC team is a great win.” Let’s see if they give us any credit for beating them on the road. GO JACKETS!
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
8:26 pm
Beamer can’t stand to lose,especially,seeing as how the media laid so much praise on him.,before GT beat them. He is having a hard time dealing with his ranking right now. All this was created by the media,sports writers and coaches. He is not getting the attention that he want’s,so he lashes out a the team that beat him….. ESPN did mention his team playing NC this weekend. And also interviewed Beamer. He said he had to forget about the loss to GT,and concentrate on NC….. Well Beamer,you should have done that after the loss to GT. You sound like a whinning Dawg! GO JACKETS!!!!!!!! TOTHWG and VT!!!!
Slick
October 27th, 2009
8:27 pm
Ah, K-money, while you make an excellent point, you see that’s the rub. When your fan base is rabid with expectations, and you get every single team’s best game, and everybody in the conference has the date you play them circled, and the media is all over you, and SI does articles about you, and you beat Ga Southern by 24 points and still drop in the polls, and your fan base gets mad because your team didn’t look pretty enough while winning.
Enjoy this season Jackets. You’re headed to a top 5 season. Nothing short of finishing #1 will be this sweet again.
GT
October 27th, 2009
8:32 pm
says go dawgs…maybe then when we whip your a$$ it will mean something
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
8:34 pm
Slick,you back again? Will your Dawgs trick or treat this weekend? Better keep your mask on for the rest of the year,so no one will recognize you as a Dawg fan!! Go Jackets!! TOHWG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Gold Pants
October 27th, 2009
8:41 pm
Coach Johnson is definitely the one for us. I just love the way he keeps the team focused on the current game at hand and its importance.In college football, there is not much room for error as in the pros. If you want to go far and win championships, you must win virtually every game. Coach teaches every game is a one game season. How true!!
Go Jackets!!
P.S. I do not like Slick like some of you pretend to do.
PradoDawg
October 27th, 2009
8:50 pm
Paul Johnson has me so scared, I’m on the Nebraska scout.com board trying to convince the Huskers to hire him away!
Hold me.
Slick
October 27th, 2009
8:51 pm
It’s OK Gold Pants. I wasn’t really here to make friends anyway. CPJ intrigues me so I wanted to read his comments. And then I just started posting. I’ll move back over to my side of the AJC now if it will make you feel better.
Jimmy
October 27th, 2009
8:54 pm
Slick, you sound like the typical UGA fan lately. When youre winning, you don’t hesitate in talking trash on the Tech blogs acting as if your life depended on what a bunch of teenagers/young men do on a Saturday afternoon.
When the tied is turned, and your team is losing, well then it’s a whole other story now isn’t it there little buddy? All of a sudden football doesn’t really count for that much in the grand scheme of things, eh? And all of a sudden us poor lil Tech fans are as you so eloquently put it earlier, are “measuring our self worth on the wins and losses of a football team.”
You can’t have it both ways.
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
9:01 pm
Bye Slick! Enjoy your loss this Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
9:07 pm
I wonder how many time Richt has changed his carpet,since doing that Carpet’s of Dalton commercial? Red and black to pink to astro turf green to finally White and Gold!
T Rock
October 27th, 2009
9:17 pm
Someone please explain the following:
if things continue as is this year GT will be favored over UGA, how can that be.
1) UGA gets a top 7- 10 recruiting class each year.
2) UGA has 45,000 students GT has 20,000.
3) UGA has multitudes of alumni that fill 92,000 seats at Samford Stad.
4) Georgia can recruit nationally and offers many more academic
major options then GT.
5) We always here that GT can’t fill Bobby Dodd / Grant Field.
6) UGA doesn’t run a “high school offense”.
7) UGA has so many many more “5 Star athletes than GT.
How oh how, can it be remotely possible that with all the positives going for UGA that little itty bitty GT could be favored. Maybe I will just call up E. Zier or whatever that quarteback’s name was an ask him to explain the “high school offense” to me and how GT could be favored over the magnificent UGA. Just wondering???? Oh yea GO YOu YELLOW JACKETS!!!!!
jacketnation
October 27th, 2009
9:18 pm
Tech is winning and UGA is losing. It should be another great football weekend when Tech beats Vandy (who has a very good defense) and UGAG gets chewed on by the Gators. We love CPJ, and know there is a fine mine in CMR at UGA. But this is our year to shine and your’s to whine.
Go Yeller Jackets
Slick
October 27th, 2009
9:20 pm
Jimmy, I’m really trying to leave to make Gold Pants happy and you’re just not helping. I don’t talk smack. I take pride in UGA. I take pride in my 2 degrees from that school that are hanging in my home office. I take pride in UGA football. If UGA finishes the year at 6-6 (which I predicted among friends before the season) I will still have pride in everything UGA. I expect nothing less from Tech Alum/fans. Tech is an outstanding institution and should my one of my kids choose to attend there I’ll swallow real hard and pat them on the back for their decision. One of your compatriots was painting me as hand wringing about Tech’s success. Sorry. It’s just not true. I’ve stated earlier that I hope Tech losses every game, and while things aren’t going according to my plans, my world ain’t crashing around me. Sun’s still gonna come up in the morning. So, let’s do this, you don’t lump me in with the UGA crazies and I wont lump you in with the Tech crazies.
It is nice to know you think I’m eloquent though.
T Rock
October 27th, 2009
9:22 pm
Excellent comment Jimmy – when the sun don’t shine on the same dog’s butt every day the Dawg Nation gets a little testy.
Ed
October 27th, 2009
9:26 pm
Caution! Vandy can not only win this Saturday, they could win big. They have a very talented QB and they play hard for the whole game. If the Jackets come out flat, they will suffer the consequences. Vandy is due for a big win at home.
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
9:30 pm
Caution: Vandy will wish they never played GT this weekend. Bank on it………
T Rock
October 27th, 2009
9:31 pm
I agree Ed – no team can be overlooked. We must focus on the task at hand. Even though the schedule looks ok any team can beat us on any given Saturday – turnovers are killers!!!
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
9:33 pm
GT will not overlook Vandy………. They will only crush them!
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
9:36 pm
GT overlooks no one and prepares for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!
CPJ 4 HEISMAN
October 27th, 2009
9:53 pm
if CPJ doesn’t win coach of the year the award is a joke
GT9
October 27th, 2009
9:54 pm
Thanks for the compliments, Slick. It always shows a lot of class by an opposing fan when they compliment their arch-rival. You also seem very attuned to the game of college football.
I’m not sure how things appeared outside TECHUNIVERSE, but the six seasons under Gailey were incredibly disheartening to TECH fans who thoroughly enjoy college football. This past weekend, I sat out in the rain for nearly three hours watching Georgia Tech and Coach Johnson football. I wasn’t the only one. I’ve been to every game this season and only missed the BC game last year. Regardless of who is coaching TECH, I love the white and gold and will support the team with all my heart. (I even sat through just about every Gailey coached game as well.) There are a lot of TECH fans who appreciate every down coached by Paul Johnson. Maybe enduring Gailey increased our ability (or hunger) to appreciate quality coaching.
Fortunately, we wont be losing a Van Gorder. Neither will we see a quarterbacking change (Shockley-Greene 02) during a winnable game, save for an injury. No one, at least that I know, can see the future. We TECH fans believe that Johnson will show his gratitude for getting his shot on the BCS stage by staying here for the long term. We were optimistic that we would have a good year in 09. Most of us couldn’t help thinking ahead about how good things could be in 2010, the third year of our pre-dynasty era.
Mark Richt has done incredible things at UG. He has all my respect and his family is more of what the NCAA needs. It does bother me on one level the way some UG fans are showing their bad sides and “turning” on Richt. It gives me warm fuzzies on that fun level that keeps replaying Roddy Jones running down the UG sideline for a victory clinching touchdown.
As he, defeated, dying,
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
TechMD
October 27th, 2009
10:25 pm
It’s funny that so many dawg fans point out CMR’s accomplishments in this thread but call for his head for having one bad season in other threads. That’s what you get with a “big time” program. Bill Curry left Tech for Alabama and won an SEC championship and had a better overall record than Bear Bryant during his first three years. What did he get for that? Death threats, a brick thrown through his office window and constant criticism. Notre Dame is becoming the graveyard of promising coaching careers. So what’s the attraction of a “big time” program again?
CRAZYTRADEMAN
October 27th, 2009
10:32 pm
Slick….
As a GT fan I will be pulling for the dawgs to be 8-3 when GT and UGA meet up later this year. I’m not trying to make fun or anything but you have to excuse some of the Tech fans for the way they handle success. We are use to having good seasons most years but only have great seasons 1 out of every 4 or 5 years only to see us lose to Wake or NC towards the end of the year. I don’t think that will happen much more under CPJ I think he is the perfect fit at GT. I don’t think many major powers want to see 9 passes a game so I don’t see him leaving for any other schools anytime soon. I would like you to answer me one question though. UGA is considered by many one of the top 10 CF jobs in the country. I know if tech was a top 10 job in the country I would expect to have at least played for a NC once or twice since 1980. I’m really not trying to make fun I’m just wondering how long do Dawg fans wait before they really do start questioning CMR? Take this year away and I would still be a disappointed fan if all I was getting was a SEC title here and there and runner ups in the east against UF. SEC titles are great but UGA is just as good of a program as Texas or UF or OKL and maybe even USC especially when you are getting the talent UGA is getting every year. When do Dawg fans start to demand a National Championship??
m
October 27th, 2009
10:58 pm
Thank God and Greyhound that chan gomer gailey is gone forever. We had to wait 6 long sorry years to get rid of the worst coach in history. Any tech fan that ever supported him or defended him in any way sucks as bad as he does.
Paul Johnson is the real deal.
armyjacket
October 27th, 2009
11:04 pm
Slick,
Glad to see the level of discourse has been raised. Too many times has this board descended into stupid name calling and people showing their arses, on both sides. I’m actually hoping UGA will drop Florida this year, just to stop hearing about them, and to help our strength of schedule. It’s a little jarring to hear the prognosticators talking about UGA hurting our SOS, but I’ll admit to enjoying it for a bit! Thanks for keeping it above board and rational.
gtfaningreenbay
October 27th, 2009
11:04 pm
im a die hard gt fan but im gonna be pulling for the puppies sat, and pulling for anybody who can pull of upsets against any of the top 10 teams this weekend and beyond. we got our 1 loss early this year and how many times you see a top 5 or so team lose late in the year and blow there chance at a nc or bcs bowl. we win out and gets some upset help along the way who knows………
gtfaningreenbay
October 27th, 2009
11:05 pm
pull off not of….
CRAZYTRADEMAN
October 27th, 2009
11:06 pm
T Rock…
#1 The recruiting ranking are shiat if you pay attention most 3 star players suddenly change to four or five stars once they commit to a big power.
#2 what the hell does the amount of student matter other than attendence at games. Look at a list of largest student enrollment in the country. If this mattered community colleges would have the best CF teams.
#3 Again what does this matter other than attendance? USC east always fills there 80,000 seat stadium but they’re always in the middle of the SEC pact. DOES NOT MATTER!!!!!!!
#4 Only good point. BUT tech doesn’t normally recruit fringe Jr college academic athletes.
#5 Again refer back to #3
#6 No they don’t but the UGA fan that says that probably has never even stepped foot on a college campus much less finished high school and Eric Zeier is a douche bag so that question is irrelevant.
#7 I would say refer back to # 1. Jonathan Dwyer and BeBe Thomas was 3 star players on some recruiting sites and others had them as 4 star players don’t you think they would have been solid 4 stars or maybe even 5 stars if they had committed to UGA or UF?
Happy to help
OldRat
October 27th, 2009
11:14 pm
This would sound like sour grapes for a loser. But for Tech and all the excitement of right now, it sounds good to say” Yeah, but wait until next year!” No disrespect to Brad, Cord, Dan and Martin, but it awful hard to find a Senior on the depth chart. Top ten finish and EVERYBODY COMING BACK. FRIGHTENING
chris o bomb
October 28th, 2009
1:53 am
I was born and raised in atlanta. I could remember the jones to hamilton days to o’leary, and i have always been to the Cremin’s and some hewitt’s games. im not a gt grad, but some of my family are. with that said and as an atlien, im getting season tickets next year! its time for us to give and show support for our team much like others do for uga. only 30-40 percent of their attendees are alums and students(still not bad)
thwg
snapshot
October 28th, 2009
7:30 am
Mark Richt may be leaving ugag sooner than anyone thinks. I still believe he will get a offer from FSU.
VT Whiners
October 28th, 2009
8:09 am
I’m not worried about Vandy…UGA beat them by 3 TD’s…we should win by 5.
Jacket fan
October 28th, 2009
8:19 am
Big South…you better hope he leaves, just like we hope Willie stays.
My only concern about CPJ potentially leaving...
October 28th, 2009
8:54 am
…is that he is a North Carolina native – would he consider either NC State or UNC if they come calling? Which is closer to his home town in western NC – Raleigh/Chapel Hill or Atlanta? Or maybe even TN if/when Kiffin is let go or leaves?
Hey, Snapshot...
October 28th, 2009
8:57 am
…do you really think FSU can afford the $5mil it will have to pay Jimbo if he is NOT named head coach by 2012, AND guarantee payment to CMR of $4mil per year on a 6 year initial contract? I don’t!
juvenal
October 28th, 2009
9:22 am
Beamer did the right thing-let’s forget all that stuff in the past & remember the future is now in Nashville…
rico43
October 28th, 2009
9:35 am
Vandy’s quarterback makes Crompton look like Dan Marino. In fact, he could be benched if the Dores fall behind by a chunk early. A downpour (a la Miami) might be the only equalizer.
WHY DO MUTTS BARK? CAUSE BEES STING
October 28th, 2009
9:37 am
REAL COACH REAL DEAL GEORGIA TECH WILL WIN ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE MUTTS,REMEMBER 1980 COMPARED TO TECH’S 1990!
T.O.S.S.
October 28th, 2009
9:44 am
Do any of you nerds need to borrow some Red & Black for Saturday’s game? Looks like you need us leg humpers to win one for you.
On a civil note, I am secretly hoping that IF (or when one could argue)you beat Georgia, you get a shot at the NC.
nerd 1
October 28th, 2009
9:58 am
Go dawgs…we are pulling for you….I do not want you to be able to say that you are having an off season when we beat you this year.
GTRich
October 28th, 2009
10:01 am
Slick is a real upstanding gentleman and intelligent sounding too.This is in stark contrast to the other UGA buffoons who can’t even string 2 sentences together.
Slick do come back, intelligent comments from an UGA fan is always refreshing for me to hear/see.