Archive for April, 2010

That’s right I used an exclamation point in the headline. That’s how excited I am about doing our second e-mail mailbag.

Send me any question you may have about any Georgia Tech sport and I’ll do my best to provide you an insightful answer.

I’ll post the answers on a blog on Tuesday at lunchtime. That’s Tuesday at lunchtime. There was some confusion about the publication of the answers when we did the last mailbag.

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Now, on to the pie-in-the-sky topic that esteemed colleague (to borrow Mark Bradley’s phrase) Tony Barnhart broached last week.

As many of you know, expansion is the topic du jour for several conferences. The Big 10 has openly said it’s considering it. The SEC said it has reviewed scenarios. I await an answer from the ACC if it too has reviewed or is reviewing scenarios.

Should one or two of the conferences make a move, Barnhart suggested that the SEC may turn to the ACC and try and lure Clemson and Georgia Tech, among others, into the fold.

While I think that …

Continue reading Let’s do a mailbag! And how would Tech fit in the SEC? »

Georgia Tech’s season-ticket sales are outpacing last year’s totals, according to sales figures provided by the Institute.

Despite a weak home schedule for the 2010 season, Tech has sold 21,728 season tickets through April 26. Sales were at 21,405 at the same point last year and finished at 26,308 sold.

Ticket sales have been trending up despite the weak economy. In 2008, Paul Johnson’s first season at Tech, 23,900 were sold. In 2007, Chan Gailey’s last as coach at Tech as well as the last year before the recession, approximately 26,083 were sold.

The Aspire Group, a company which Tech contracted with last summer to supplement its ticket sales operations, has sold more than 774 new season-ticket packages since January, according to associate athletics director Wayne Hogan. The result is more than $240,000 in new revenue for the Institute.

Season-ticket packages are on sale through the home-opener against I-AA foe South Carolina State on Sept. 4.

Tech is in the odd year of its …

Continue reading Tech season-ticket sales improving »

Jonathan Dwyer will wear No. 41 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, according a post on facebook.com. He wore No. 21 at Tech. Dwyer was selected in the sixth round of last week’s NFL draft.

Demaryius Thomas has been assigned No. 88 for the Denver Broncos. He wore No. 8 at Tech. Thomas was selected in the first round.

Morgan Burnett will wear No. 42 for the Green Bay Packers. He wore No. 1 at Tech. He was selected in the third round.

It appears Derrick Morgan hasn’t been assigned a number with the Tennessee Titans. Morgan was selected in the first round.

Other famous 41’s:

Mozart’s last symphony

Tom Seaver

Dirk Nowitzki

Glen Rice

Wes Unseld

Famous No. 42s:

Jackie Robinson

Ronnie Lott

Sid Luckman

Mariano Rivera

James Worthy

Famous No. 88s:

Alan Page

Marvin Harrison

Lynn Swann

Eric Lindros

Michael Irvin

Dale Jarrett

* names courtesy of an old SI article.

Continue reading Dwyer will wear 41 at Pittsburgh…and other tidbits »

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said when he first arrived he would ask the players who did well after scrimmages.

Some would say “offense;” some would say “defense.”

“No,” he would reply, “Georgia Tech won.”

That the team is doing well and on track to defend its ACC title seemed to be the feeling among the players after the spring practice culminated with last Saturday’s T-Day game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The re-engineered defense seems to be coming along. Players are getting used to the four new assistant coaches. Anthony Allen’s transition from A-back to B-back continued without a hitch. Most importantly, the team found out that there is life after the big four of Derrick Morgan, Demaryius Thomas, Morgan Burnett and Jonathan Dwyer left early for the NFL.

But that wasn’t the only question entering the spring practices whose answer started to be found:

1. Installing defense’s front seven. The defensive linemen and linebackers raved all spring about how much fun they were …

Continue reading Looking at Tech, post-spring »

Cord Howard signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Howard, an all-ACC performer at guard last season, will be reunited with Chan Gailey, his former coach at Georgia Tech.

At 6-5, 308 pounds, Howard can play either guard or right tackle in the NFL. He said after Tech’s pro day, where he seemed to perform well, he has been spending time refining his technique at both positions.

I’m trying to find out if outside linebacker Sedric Griffin has signed with any teams.

Other Tech articles for your perusal from yesterday:

Bay-Bay finds his way: http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/somehow-bay-bay-found-487904.html

Dwyer drafted by Steelers: http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2010/04/24/dwyer-goes-to-pittsburgh-steelers/

Washington, Hill shine at T-Day: http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2010/04/24/washington-hill-shine-at-t-day-game/

Continue reading Howard signs with Buffalo »

After a wait that he described as humbling, former Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer said he’s excited to be a Steeler.

At one time projected to be a first-round pick, a combination of factors saw Dwyer tumble all the way to the sixth round of the NFL Draft, where Pittsburgh made him the 188th player selected.

“It was very hard [ to wait],” Dwyer said. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. It made me think about a lot of things. I’ve got to come in and be ready to work and that’s what I’m going to do.”

He wasn’t supposed to last that long. After rushing for 1,395 yards as a sophomore to earn ACC player of the year honors, he rushed for 1,395 more as a junior last season to help the Yellow Jackets win the ACC. When he submitted his early-entry paperwork to the NFL in December, coach Paul Johnson said it came back with a first- or second-round pick projection.

Instead, Dwyer became a polarizing player, with some draft analysts slotting him high and …

Continue reading Dwyer goes to Pittsburgh Steelers — updated with Dwyer quotes »

Tevin Washington secured his spot as Georgia Tech’s No. 2 quarterback by leading the White team to four touchdowns in Saturday’s 27-7 win over the Gold team in the T-Day game at Bobby Stadium.

The game was called at halftime because of rain, but not before Washington ran for three scores and completed a 70-yard pass to wide receiver Stephen Hill for another.

“We’re just trying to get better, that’s all we’re trying to do,” said Hill, who robbed Dominique Reese of an interception when he wrestled the ball away from him at the 5-yard line on an earlier drive.

Tech used play-action on the long score. As Hill ran by cornerback Mario Butler and past safety Isaiah Johnson, he said he could hear coach Paul Johnson yelling, “Throw the ball.” Butler said there was a miscommunication on the play call by the defense, which is still learning the 3-4 system being put in by defensive coordinator Al Groh.

Washington, and redshirt freshmen Jordan Luallen and David Sims competed in the spring …

Continue reading Washington, Hill shine at T-Day game »

That Jonathan Dwyer has yet to be drafted stuns Paul Johnson, his former coach at Georgia Tech.

At one time projected to be a first-round pick when he announced in January he was leaving school after three seasons, Dwyer was finally selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth rounds

Twelve running backs were selected ahead of him.

“Someone is going to get a heck of a football player,” Johnson said after Saturday’s T-Day game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. “If there are 90 guys better than him I haven’t seen them.

“It’s unbelievable.”

After rushing for 1,395 yards as a sophomore to earn ACC player of the year honors, he rushed for 1,395 more as a junior last season in helping the Yellow Jackets win the ACC.

When he announced he was turning pro, draft analysts questioned Dwyer’s weight, ability to catch the ball, blocking and pass-catching skills. He played at around 240 pounds in Tech’s spread-option, where he wasn’t asked to pass-block or catch, though he did snag a few passes, …

Continue reading Johnson stunned that Dwyer hasn’t been picked — updated »

Georgia Tech’s T-Day game has ended early  becuase of the storms rolling into Atlanta.

The White team was winning 27-7 when the game was called at halftime.

Continue reading T-Day game ends early »

Morgan Burnett was selected by Green Bay  in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday.

Burnett, a safety from Georgia Tech, was chosen 71st overall. The Packers traded up to slip in front of Buffalo, now led by the man who recruited Burnett to Tech, Chan Gailey, to get him.

After an All-American sophomore season when Burnett intercepted seven passes, he picked off four more as a junior. He finished his career at Tech with 14 interceptions and 235 tackles.

Charles Davis of the NFL Network said in January that Burnett’s size (6-1, 210 pounds) and ability to play safety or cornerback would enhance his appeal to NFL teams.

A native of College Park, Burnett was the third Georgia Tech player to be drafted, following Derrick Morgan going to Tennessee with the 16th pick and Demaryius Thomas to Denver with the 22nd pick.

He strained a hamstring just before the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February and wasn’t able to work out for scouts. He recovered and seemed to impress scouts by …

Continue reading Packers select Morgan Burnett »