A look at Georgia Tech’s offensive line
I felt bad leaving you without a blog for two weeks, so I cobbled this together, using colleague Tim Tucker’s capsule on the Georgia blog. A few more will be coming.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE
- Returning starters: T Phil Smith, C Sean Bedford, T Austin Barrick.
- Others to watch: Guard Omoregie Uzzi and the versatile Nick Claytor saw lots of snaps last season. Guard Nick McRae looked very good in the spring and there are many redshirted players, including Will Jackson and Ray Beno, waiting in the wings.
- Key losses: All-ACC guard Cord Howard graduated and is now with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. The other starter, Joe Gilbert, will graduate this summer and has transferred to Georgia State. Starting tackle Brad Sellers graduated.
- Key fact: The Jackets led the ACC by averaging 295.4 rushing yards a game last season. They were 87.2 yards ahead of the next-best team, Virginia Tech.
- Key fact II: The Jackets were second in that category in the NCAA, behind Nevada (344.92 ypg).
- Key question: Will the two new guards be able to step in and play as well as last season’s did? Coach Paul Johnson has said the line played well, but there is lots of room to improve.
- Recent developments: Other than the transfers of Gilbert and backup Clyde Yandell, not much.
- Outlook: Should be fine, but we will see. It’s tough to lose that many starters on the line.
- Your turn: What say you about the offensive line?
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249 comments Add your comment
mcdawghna
June 15th, 2010
3:26 pm
Well………until your last comment…..
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
3:29 pm
Thanks. I try.
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
3:30 pm
Nah, the last one was in response to reality stinks. Kid’s been here all day crowing and spewing. Just have to jab back every now and then…earlier our guys were whining about it.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
3:31 pm
Im very jealous
Jealous of a program that has 58 fans
Jealous of a program that has a high school stadium
Jealous of a program that is in a high crime area
Jealous of a program that cant beat a middle of the road SEC team
Jealous of a program that looses to IOWA yes IOWA in a bowl game
Jealous of a program that is a wanna be in athletics and academics
Jealous of a program that needs UGA to fill its stadium every other year
Jealous of a program that cannot win in the worst conference on a consistent basis
Jealous of a program that has to use gimmick plays to win
Yea the more publicity I give the better Reality sets in for future recruits
and
Reality Stinks for you Techies
dogcrap
June 15th, 2010
3:31 pm
May all of the stupid, redneck, inbred, toothless, ass crack showing, masses burn in hell starting real soon. Sanford and son “stadium” looks like a big crap hole. That’s because armpit athens is the cesspool of the south. uga “fans” suck worse that any other “school’s fans” in the entire world.
GT Fan
June 15th, 2010
3:33 pm
mcdawghna…did not mean to upset you…I was referring to recent time, but I give you that UGA has been successful under Richt, just not in the last couple of years. GT is a program on the rise and UGA is declining…but I guess we will see in Sept.
Reality Stinks…you are such a Loser.
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
3:35 pm
dogcrap, unnecessary. Just look at the post right before yours. Kid wants to throw darts like he knows anything about Tech. Every point he puts on his little list refutes itself with either a weekend spent at Tech or even just a quick overview of our last 2 seasons of football. He does enough to himself without us having to slam Georgia. As I noted earlier…reality stinks when he looks at it so he tries to make his own.
dogcrap
June 15th, 2010
3:36 pm
Hey Reality stinks, since you are a mutt, go chase a car in heavy traffic. I hope you die soon.
DawginLex
June 15th, 2010
3:36 pm
dogcrap is out for the summer from middle school…………….
This blog has lowered my IQ.
gotta go
The fries are burning
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
3:38 pm
dogcrap, I hope you’re not a Tech fan. You’re not carrying yourself like one. “I hope you die soon”…? Let’s not take it there. He won’t get far in life anyway creating an alternate reality for himself. We don’t need to sink that low.
We can hate UGA and every other rival without acting like them.
RambleOn84
June 15th, 2010
3:41 pm
dogcrap is either 12 years old or (more likely) “Reality Stinks,” posing as an annoyed Tech fan so his next post can drive home the “fact” that all Tech fans are overly concerned with UGA.
This is the problem with anonymous postings…
dogcrap
June 15th, 2010
3:42 pm
well manup, I don’t think I need any advice from you about carrying myself like your idea of a Tech fan. I hope you aren’t a Tech fan either. Don’t worry about me.
GT Fan
June 15th, 2010
3:43 pm
Well said Man up… Back to the topic… I think we will be ok, but let’s give CPJ’s O’Line recruits a chance to play in his offensive scheme before we draw any conclusions. At any rate it will be great to be a Yellowjacket come September.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
3:45 pm
GT Fan
GT is on the rise and UGA is declining
BLAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HAHAHAHA
Man Up
Reviewing your 2 season destroyed by LSU, stomped by IOWA, RUN OVER by UGA
Now that is funny
dogcrap
Squash I just stepped on a bee
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
3:49 pm
I’m an alumnus, son. I know Georgia Tech as well as anyone. And if I saw you spillin’ that garbage on gameday I’d say the same thing to you. Football, and Georgia Tech in particular, should be about respect. You don’t want your rival to die, you want to beat them! If you let their poison get under your skin you’ve made yourself look bad…you let it go and they’ll embarrass themselves. A Tech man needs to take the high road.
Brock
June 15th, 2010
3:55 pm
“Jealous of a program that looses to IOWA yes IOWA in a bowl game”
Dude- are you really that stupid? It’s loses not looses. It’s losing not loosing. Good god dummy, read a friggin book sometime will ya?
Eisendawg
June 15th, 2010
3:57 pm
Funny thing about it, most spewing the venom on these blogs, are kinda like road rage in a car. Talk tough behind the wheel, or a computer screen, but probably not so much in person.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
3:59 pm
I just love how Tech fans want to act so proper and act like they shouldnt stoop to the so called level of a typical UGA fan
and yet
Tech comes to our stadium and beats us then proceeds to act like a bunch high school amateurs who never been there and proceed to destroy our hedges
Give me a break your a bunch of hypocrites
What happens this year if you beat us, “NOT” will your players run into the stands and beat up UGA fans this time
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:00 pm
RealityStinks, those were not the only games of our last two seasons. We’re not 0-3 over three years. I believe it’s 20-6, right? And one of those 20 was over your Dawgs, sir. I’ve already posted my thoughts on the other two games you mentioned if you’ll bother to read. That said, I don’t see how I’m supposed to believe that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a bad team. Consistently a good team is more like it. Great? Not yet. Can we be? In time. The wins will keep coming. And apparently so will your fool comments. That’s ok. The more attention on Tech the better. We have nothing to apologize for.
Now Reality
June 15th, 2010
4:02 pm
Now, thats not realistic! but, maybe some more rings …..
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:02 pm
Not the typical UGA fans, just ones like you’ve shown yourself to be today. Childish is a good word for it.
Now Reality
June 15th, 2010
4:04 pm
If we can just win a bowl game, we’ll do medals ……
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:06 pm
Ok, switch handles. Like a child. See how the point stands regardless what you do?
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:09 pm
The ring issue, Senior Rings happen every year. The seniors get to chose what’s displayed on it. They chose as their proudest moment for 2008’s season the drought-breaking win in Athens. Ask them what kind of rings they got for 2009? (Hint – “Championship” was written on them)
Brock
June 15th, 2010
4:09 pm
Man up- if RS would learn to speak proper english he might get more respect, but talking like a 3yr old….hell, I can hardlyunderstand what he/she is saying.
RS- you talk but all that comes out is incoherent drivel. Congratulations!! You’re the Helen Keller of the blogosphere.
OH WELL
June 15th, 2010
4:12 pm
Doug….This is about as sorry as you can get. Having to copy someone’s idea…can’t you be even a little bit original in your writing.
Now Reality
June 15th, 2010
4:15 pm
Well, they couldn’t exactly do the rings for 2009 with 30-24, could they? But, congratulations on a great season, and good luck for this coming year, except for your last regular season game.
One tech fan not drinking the kool Aid
June 15th, 2010
4:16 pm
CPJ isn’t recruiting well, I am a bit confused at what is a CPJ recruit? Has he ever coached/or recruited an All American,? Gailey left him players, and thanks to a down ACC we have had success. Did we not learn anything from the humiliating losses to LSU, Miami, Uga, and Iowa. Our o-line is small and seriously lacking depth.
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:17 pm
Thanks. Now, there’s some class coming across!
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:25 pm
Kool Aid, in my understanding CPJ wants big O-linemen that are a step quicker than most. If he can’t get big ones he’ll settle for getting well-planted quick ones. The key is to be able to move laterally quicker than the D-line expects. Size and speed together will be the key to getting better offensive production over behemoth D-lines like Iowa’s. Some of the recruits for the 2010 and 2011 classes may help a lot in that regard. We have one commit who is 300 pounds at 16 years old and can reportedly move pretty darn quick. That sounds like a CPJ prototype O-lineman to me!
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
4:31 pm
Brock
I point to fans like you being the problem with Tech. Here is why
Tech will not amount to anything athletically because not enough fans support the program thats a fact
Your fans allow Chan Gaily to last as long as he did. Do you think Chan would have lasted that long at UGA, just ask Donnan.
You let O’Leary go because number one you wont pay someone good to stay and your embarrassed because you didnt do a background check
Tech fans pride themselves on beating UGA and thats it instead of demanding much more
Academically your too strict (Yes stricter than UGA I will admit but this is your down fall as Notre Dame has not figured out yet either). So what if you let 60 dummies in your school, are you going play ball or study. You think USC football is loaded with great players with high IQ’s, no, and they are academically better than UGA
You believe because Paul Johnson beats UGA one time with the worst Defensive coordinator in history on their sidelines and you think now everything is going to change
You fans think because your rated in the top 10 and went to the Orange Bowl that your going to play for a NC this year
Your President and AD do not strive for more and havent since the 1960’s
These are just a few of Techs issues
Oh and Brocky, typical Tech response, you cant spell, your grammer, typical UGA. Well unfortunately Brocky I dont care about grammer I didnt major in English and this is a blog not a paper to turn in
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
4:34 pm
If tech fans were more like your KOOL AID post
You would beat UGA more often
Now thats reality
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
4:39 pm
“Tech will not amount to anything athletically because not enough fans support the program thats a fact”
Opinion, not fact. And we have amounted to ACC Champions, by the way.
“Your fans allow Chan Gaily to last as long as he did. Do you think Chan would have lasted that long at UGA, just ask Donnan.”
Fans wanted him gone long before he was fired.
“You let O’Leary go because number one you wont pay someone good to stay and your embarrassed because you didnt do a background check”
Maybe closer to correct. We didn’t have money.
“Tech fans pride themselves on beating UGA and thats it instead of demanding much more”
False. We want championships too.
“Academically your too strict (Yes stricter than UGA I will admit but this is your down fall as Notre Dame has not figured out yet either). So what if you let 60 dummies in your school, are you going play ball or study. You think USC football is loaded with great players with high IQ’s, no, and they are academically better than UGA”
Not touching that one…
“You believe because Paul Johnson beats UGA one time with the worst Defensive coordinator in history on their sidelines and you think now everything is going to change”
Everything IS changing. That has nothing to do with Georgia.
“You fans think because your rated in the top 10 and went to the Orange Bowl that your going to play for a NC this year”
No one said that but you, sir.
“Your President and AD do not strive for more and havent since the 1960’s”
False. Plus we have had several Presidents and AD’s since then. They want championships too.
“These are just a few of Techs issues”
Nope. They’re your opinions of Tech.
Brock
June 15th, 2010
4:49 pm
Thanks for the book tard. How many times did you spell check before you got that one out?Possibly the dumbest guy ever on a blog. Did you “loose” out on that 3rd grade education?
BTW- thanks for making yourself the definition of relative humidity- the sweat that runs down your sister’s back when your having sex with her.
Signed- Brocky….hahahahahahaha!
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
5:04 pm
You fans think because your rated in the top 10 and went to the Orange Bowl that your going to play for a NC this year”
Ive heard Tech fans call in on Rivals Radio and Paul Finebaum’s show making these statements. I have read it numerous times on this blog. I personally know several Tech fans who say to me all the time
“Your President and AD do not strive for more and havent since the 1960’s”
False. Plus we have had several Presidents and AD’s since then. They want championships too.
Yea I can tell your past AD’s wanted championships since the 1960’s. I guess thats why Techs athletic department has won less than 10 total championships conference champs included since then.
Academically your too strict (Yes stricter than UGA I will admit but this is your down fall as Notre Dame has not figured out yet either). So what if you let 60 dummies in your school, are you going play ball or study. You think USC football is loaded with great players with high IQ’s, no, and they are academically better than UGA”
Not touching that one…
(Again your proud of that and thats fine academically thats great, just don’t ever expect to go back to the Bobby Dodd era again. Sorry just facts not opinions
Example since 1980 name me 5 schools that are academic powerhouses that have won the national title. Notre Dame Michigan and Penn State are the only ones that come to mind and those two like Tech haven’t competed in 16 years. Notre Dame might be better than Tech academically the other two not.
Tech fans pride themselves on beating UGA and thats it instead of demanding much more”
False. We want championships too.
If that was true you would have more fans show up to games with a much larger stadium
Look at your stadiums with 80,000 plus seats 99% of those have won the NC in the last 30 years
Your fans allow Chan Gaily to last as long as he did. Do you think Chan would have lasted that long at UGA, just ask Donnan.”
Fans wanted him gone long before he was fired.
I can tell you if fans wanted him gone that bad he wouldnt have been their 4 years But like you said Tech fans and your AD and President strive for championships
“You believe because Paul Johnson beats UGA one time with the worst Defensive coordinator in history on their sidelines and you think now everything is going to change”
Everything IS changing. That has nothing to do with Georgia.
If everything was changing you would have had better showings in your bowl games
Sorry these are just facts
CrackDaddy
June 15th, 2010
5:04 pm
What’s that screeching in the background. Sounds like that UNC defense tightening the screws.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
5:11 pm
Brocky
Its ok tears will be flowing again when reality sets in come November
Check the spelling LOOOOOOOSER
wesleywhatwhat
June 15th, 2010
5:15 pm
the O-line should be improved, but then again, georgia tech’s opponents should be getting better too so tech won’t be going undefeated this year or anything.
they SHOULD should contend for the acc championship and a bcs bowl. i think it all depends on the gt/vt game. the winner of that game was won the acc the last three years…
ScoutDawg
June 15th, 2010
5:16 pm
Go Yech we all know that line play matters not. Sorry that we have an aggregate of 155 games started this year. We know a veteran line would make no differance for you, but maybe a dominant line will aid our effort this year. I know you nerd geeks could care less about strong line play, but by the way did you in your gte 248 class talk about sarcasm at least?
wesleywhatwhat
June 15th, 2010
5:21 pm
oh and “reality stinks” just might be the biggest loser on the ajc blogs. congrats to him.
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
5:28 pm
RealityStinks, how fast do you think things in CFB are supposed to change? We’ve only seen the start of the CPJ era. It can and will get better than this, especially if Al Groh can put together a defense worth its salt. By the way Tech HAS won the NC in the last 30 years! Guess who hasn’t?
Anyway, my overall sentiment that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a good team, and one we should be proud to root for, has not changed based on anything you’ve shown me today. I still contend that your opinions of Tech are not as well-informed as you say. We are not handicapped by academics. We have and will win WITH high academic standards, not despite them!
Now, that said, I am not crowing for an NC this year. It would not be realistic preseason position to take. We’re not Alabama or Florida. But we’re not the same Georgia Tech team that used to lay down and die settling for 7 win seasons. I’d say that even then we weren’t settling – we all hated it! No, the Yellow Jackets are a good team and will stay a good team. We’re your hated rival, and you dearly want to make sure you beat us. That right there says a lot.
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
5:29 pm
ScoutDawg, who here said line play didn’t matter for us? The whole article is about a better O-line…something all of us that watched the games saw that we needed.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
5:33 pm
Man Up
If you want to be delusional thats fine
We are not handicapped by academics. We have and will win WITH high academic standards, not despite them!
Let me know when Notre Dame wins in my lifetime another NC, Tech as well, again once proud programs just cant come to reality
Man up...
June 15th, 2010
5:38 pm
Dangerous words, RealityStinks. Paul Johnson has said his goal in moving to Georgia Tech is nothing less than a national championship. And to pick on ND like that…you’ll be eating your words at some point, sir. I can guarantee you that a decade’s time will serve you up at least one NC between those two schools.
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
5:45 pm
Whatever
Keep drinking the Koolaid 38-3 LSU, 30-24 UGA, Iowa 24-14
Notre Dame 1 bowl win Hawaii since 1993
And your saying one of these two schools win a NC in the coming decade
BLHA HA HA HA HAH HA HAHAAHA HAHAH
wes
June 15th, 2010
6:38 pm
reality got pwned by “4 jacks”.
LOL !!! Classic burn!
wes
June 15th, 2010
6:44 pm
3 quick things on Georgia’s football “tradition”…
1. Georgia needs to go ahead and give back the helmet logo it stole from the Green Bay Packers.
2. They should also cease playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic as their fight song. IN CASE YOU DIDN’T NOTICE, YOU’RE LOCATED IN THE DEEP SOUTH YOU STUPID REDNECKS!!!!
3. Not the first school to have a bulldog as a mascot. Very surprising (YAWN), you unoriginal bafoons. All of Georgia’s traditions are a complete joke.
GT's mascot made it on Family Guy!
June 15th, 2010
6:46 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-5ayrCbDA&feature=related
Ezekiel
June 15th, 2010
6:58 pm
3rd year that Paul Johnson has his system in place and now he’s got some of his own hand-picked recruits like Uzzi and McRae that are ready to go. Going to be interesting to see how effective this unit will be and how some of the young players develop. You can talk more Georgia Tech football at: http://www.bbuzzoff.com
Reality Stinks
June 15th, 2010
7:06 pm
wes
If you call that a burn
Then you need to go to 4jacks shrink, I remember hearing that crap in college pshycology
Obviously he got that lame crap from one or his buddy Dr. Phil