Johnson: ‘Sky’s the limit’ for Tech
Greetings-
Just returned from the kickoff luncheon at the Cobb Galleria. Coach Paul Johnson spoke last, after athletic director Dan Radakovich, former center Sean Bedford and A-back Roddy Jones. Johnson had a few noteworthy things to say:
1. He said he was “embarrassed” by the way the team finished the 2010 season, “and I hope our football team felt that way.” That the team wasn’t thrilled with the season isn’t news, but I don’t think I’ve heard him use that strong a word to describe it.
2. Johnson quote: “I really believe you’re going to come out and see a football team that’s going to be hungry, that’s going to fly around, that’s going to play extremely hard and just be kind of generally [hacked] off. We have a lot of reasons to be in that mode, and if we’re not, I’m going to be really disappointed and I’m going to make sure they get in that mode fairly quickly.”
3. He kicked coaches and players off the field with about five minutes left in Thursday’s scrimmage against the scout team because he didn’t think players were playing with necessary intensity. Johnson: “That’s the message we’re trying to send. It’s a message of urgency. Nobody respects you, nobody thinks you can do anything, so it’s up to you to prove them wrong.”
4. Johnson said he believes the “sky’s the limit for our football team” and that the team “might be as talented or more talented athletically and physically than we’ve been since I’ve been here.” Not a small claim, considering the 2009 team had six first-team All-ACC players, including the 2008 ACC player of the year and two NFL first-rounders, as well as a third-rounder and also a 2011 seventh-round pick.
He said he’ll probably play eight or nine true freshmen and seven or eight redshirt freshmen. The true freshmen I am sure will play: guard Trey Braun, defensive back Zach Laskey and wide receiver Jeff Greene. True freshmen I think could play: Guards Errin Joe and Shaq Mason, wide receiver Darren Waller, quarterback Vad Lee and long snapper Sean Tobin. I imagine a linebacker or two will play, but I confess I have no read on that.
Redshirt freshmen I’m confident will play: A-back Tony Zenon, quarterback Synjyn Days, A-back Deon Hill, B-back Charles Perkins, inside linebacker Quayshawn Nealy.
5. Johnson said he thought the defense will have two senior starters on defense, maybe three, and for certain one on offense and possibly two. I would think that would be defensive tackle Logan Walls and defensive end Jason Peters, with outside linebacker Steven Sylvester the “maybe.” Linebacker Brandon Watts has challenged Sylvester.
The sure thing on offense is A-back Roddy Jones and the maybe is wide receiver Tyler Melton, who is competing with Greene for the starting job. Melton missed time in camp with a calf strain.
6. He said he likes the schedule and is how he would draw it up if he could, with three non-conference games to start.
The Western Carolina season opener is a chance “to lay the foundation for something special.”
He said he thinks Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 10 “will be a Super Bowl-type game for them,” in that a BCS conference team is coming to its place.
The Blue Raiders lost to Minnesota at home by a touchdown last year, beat Maryland on the road in 2009 and Memphis at home and three years ago, beat Maryland at home and lost to Kentucky on the road 20-14.
“It’ll be wild,” he said.
(An aside: The school’s nickname is the Blue Raiders, but the school’s athletic logo includes a white winged horse on it. Perhaps the Raiders ride atop such magnificent steeds.)
As for the Kansas game Sept. 17, he said, “I’ve got a long memory of standing on that sideline a year ago in Lawrence, Kans. It was not a happy moment or a happy place. Hopefully our guys have the same kind of desire (to avenge the loss).”
North Carolina, Sept. 24: “I hear a lot of people writing off those teams (like Miami or North Carolina). Sometimes that can be a real rallying cry.”
That was about as far as he got on the schedule, though he noted the next game is North Carolina State, “who beat us at our place a year ago.”
He said the team shows consistent improvement as opposed to the 2010 season, which he termed a roller-coaster ride where “we were never really quite sure what we were going to get.”
7. The team will vote for captains after a few games after all of the seniors have a chance to be game captains. The game captains for the opener will be Jones, Walls and Sylvester, who were chosen by the coaching staff.
8. Bedford delivered an impressive speech. He spoke about his appreciation and indebtedness to the school, how he felt blessed that his playing career traveled the course it did and that how the story of his career – hard work, dedication, academic success – isn’t so different from that of his former teammates’. I imagine many of you on the blog would have had heart palpitations hearing it.
He also included a few jabs at the NCAA and Georgia. He appreciated the choice Tech fans make to follow the Jackets and for not falling in line with the trendiness of cheering for Georgia and the ease of being able to “go to a Walmart and buying a red cap with an ugly ‘G’ on it.”
The man knows his audience. I spoke with him briefly aftewards. He started law school at Florida Monday and flew up to give the speech at the luncheon. He said he has 300 pages to read over the weekend. Aiyee.
Thanks for reading. Please follow on Facebook and Twitter.
By Ken Sugiura, AJC
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367 comments Add your comment
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
10:24 pm
I really do not think that Worm ever played a down of football in his life much less coached anything.
Team Dream
August 26th, 2011
10:24 pm
Crittendon charged with homicide … GT blogs to be flooded with comments calling us cheaters, liars and now criminals in 5 … 4 … 3 …
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
10:26 pm
Juice, I’m still waiting for you admission that it’s no better in Athens. You know it’s true; so why not admit it?
Ramblin Man
August 26th, 2011
10:27 pm
I almost forgot my favorite UGA athlete arrest. Would any of you that want to somehow link this tragic event involving a former GT player like to discuss a UGA baseball player that solicited a minor for sex. Do you see how this is stupid and has nothing to do with current players or the school.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
10:29 pm
Ramblin Man, I hadn’t even heard of that one, but of course you know the trolls won’t bring it up.
Ramblin Man
August 26th, 2011
10:30 pm
stupid smart phone never likes to put in question marks
Ramblin Man
August 26th, 2011
10:34 pm
Happened like a year or so ago. Got caught in one of those to catch a predator type stings. Now what were we suppose to be discussing? Oh yeah I remember football starts in 6 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
10:37 pm
Can’t wait, Ramblin. Will you be there? I will.
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
10:42 pm
Okay Techies, I will never bring up Crittendon if you will stop slandering our entire football team with your crybaby sore loser low life lies about how dumb they are and how they are criminals like you’ve been doing for the better part of the past 30 effing years. Do we have a deal Techies?
Tech fans=EMBARASSMENT to the state of Georgia, city of Atlanta, but most of all to themselves.
Thanks.
Bridges falling down
August 26th, 2011
10:46 pm
CHEATING
LYING
MURDERING
FAKE ACADEMIC REPS
THUG FACTORY
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
10:48 pm
why should we, dawgfan, when it’s true? With a few notable exceptions, and I WILL give you credit for them, the majority of the football players who come to Athens ARE dumber than the average student. And surely you will admit that over the past 3 years, the number of athletes in Athens who have run-ins with the law has been pretty high. And, by the way, ask the fans of any SEC team which school they think has the worst fans, and UGa is at the top of everybody’s list. YOUR fans are the embarrassment.
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
10:49 pm
Hey dawgfan, the answer from me is no! You my friend should not even care what a Tech fan cares about your team. I doubt that you or your friends will ever stay off a Tech blog. There is no need for anyone to slander your football team, you manage to take care of it by yourselves quite well.
Gorilla Biscuit
August 26th, 2011
10:54 pm
The Joke by the Coke, where on any given Thursday night in the fall you can get free Cokes and hot dogs and enjoy the comraderie of 15,000 of your favorite nerds.
Last time I checked the sports apparel at Wally World they had 1 GT hat but it had a big booger stuck to it.
RamboDog Returns!!
August 26th, 2011
10:55 pm
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
7:50 pm
Supersize, nice picture of your wife…how do you feel about her buying the Dawg pocketbook? Was she on her break? She looks much thinner since you made her start weight watchers….tell her to
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
11:00 pm
RamboDog, who let you out of the nut house?
Thought the warden had you locked up.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:02 pm
Rambo, that was weak even for your low standards.
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
11:03 pm
I guess we don’t have a deal.
The headline reads as follows: “Former Georgia Tech star wanted for HOMICIDE.”
Yet, the second a UGA player gets busted for driving his scooter too fast on campus you can bet the Techies will start popping off at their fat Techie mouths about what a thug he is and a failure life. Tech fans have to be the dumbest pieces of mindless meat in the history of the earth. Good grief.
Gorilla Biscuit
August 26th, 2011
11:05 pm
So I guess Jarvis will be giving up his high-paying engineering position. Job opportunities Techies!!!
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
11:06 pm
“You my friend should not even care what a Tech fan cares about your team.”
I don’t. I care about one thing and one thing only: Putting you arrogant pencil neck crybaby mammas boyes in your freaking place.
“And surely you will admit that over the past 3 years, the number of athletes in Athens who have run-ins with the law has been pretty high”
One word for you Techie: HOMICIDE. Take Advil for headaches smart guy.
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
11:07 pm
So the majority of UGA football players are criminals Supersize? Please answer the question and don’t skirt the issue. Its yes or no.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 26th, 2011
11:08 pm
If you are a dawg fan on this Tech blog making fun of Tech for a guy committing murder then you have no class. You are not representing the university well or for that matter yourself very well. UGA blogs get out of hand for sure, but this situation is completely different. Have some class for yourself first and refrain from making fun of a terrible situation.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:10 pm
dawgfan, since you obviously want to talk about homicide, do you care to tell us about the UGA professor who murdered his wife in public and in front of their children? Happened 2 years ago, in case you have conveniently forgotten. He was actually an active employee of the thug factory in Athens; That means that MY taxes were paying his salary. Javaris spent one year on scholarship at Tech 5 years ago, and he probably hasn’t been back on campus since then and certainly never took any tax money. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:11 pm
dawgfan, I never said the majority of mutt football players are criminals; I said the majority of them are dumber than the average student.
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
11:12 pm
Lowcountry, you do have class. After 5 years have gone by, I doubt that anyone would connect a school with this crime. Thanks for the insight. At least the majority of UGA fans have common sense.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:13 pm
Lowcountry, THANK YOU, and I apologize for bringing up the UGA professor, but after awhile I just get sick of hearing crap and sometimes lower myself to respond in kind
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
11:13 pm
Lowcountry, touche. I’m done talking about Crittenton. Its a horrible situation and I will never bring it up again. But imagine what would be coming out of the Techie mouths if it were a UGA player in this situation. Just imagine. I will leave it at that.
Answer the question Superisize.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:14 pm
dawgfan, I DID answer your question
dawgfan
August 26th, 2011
11:15 pm
dawgfan, I never said the majority of mutt football players are criminals; I said the majority of them are dumber than the average student.
Of course they are dolt. Most every football player at every school is not up to snuff with the general student population, including the Joke By Coke.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:16 pm
there you go showing your lack of class again. Did I call you any name? NO!!! But when you don’t like what I say, you call me a “dolt”. And you wonder why we don’t like you.
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
11:19 pm
Supersize I am confused. You answered under the name of Dawgfan with Dawgfan. Are you and Dawgfan the same person? Did you make a mistake?
RamboDog Returns!!
August 26th, 2011
11:19 pm
Supersize and Ole Yeller fart, if you scan back this entire blog….it would only be about 1 and 1/2 pages without you two.
Your team sucks, just deal with it. And….I will be on here after we wax your tails again this year (start your “statistics” argument now)…..but remember, I ONLY care about the score. NOTHING else matters. You are a WINNER or a LOSER…that’s it.
Welcome back Ole Yeller, did you catch any fish?
I really enjoy messing with you , I will have to go soon. Have to be back in lockup at 11:30..or so
Gorilla Biscuit
August 26th, 2011
11:20 pm
Are the majority of Tech players smarter than the average student?
Bridges falling down
August 26th, 2011
11:21 pm
waiting for some tek loser to side with “crit”, I know they’re huddled together madly trying to spin this one.
supersize how long are you gonna disappear for when tek loses to Troy
TEKY = CHEATER
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:22 pm
And you are right, the majority of the athletes at Tech are dumber than the average student. But, and I know you will disagree with this, IF one of those dumb athletes at Tech gets a degree, that piece of paper is worth a helluva lot more to him than one given to one of the dumb athletes from UGA. The job opportunities for even the least esteemed major at Tech are greater, and pay more, than those for the average major at UGA. If you doubt, then consider how much a management major generally earns relative to teachers, coaches, communications majors, and whatever other programs the MAJORITY of athletes in Athens graduate in. I know that not all athletes have those majors, but as shown by Sean Bedford, not all Tech grads are management majors either, and even some of those management majors get HIGH-PAYING jobs when they graduate (for example, Albert Rocker).
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:23 pm
ole yeller, dawgfan cut an pasted what I had typed and then posted his reply. I can assure you we are not one and the same. LOL
Bridges falling down
August 26th, 2011
11:24 pm
super size u are clueless and wrong
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:24 pm
well, since Tech doesn’t even play headley lamar’s alma mater (Troy), I don’t guess I will be disappearing at all. DUHHHH
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:24 pm
where am I wrong, Bridges?
Ramblin Man
August 26th, 2011
11:25 pm
Look what Javaris Crittenton learned at the North Avenue Trade School. How to MURDER an innocent woman. Keep up the good work TECHIES. The Engineering degree has really paid off for JC.
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
11:25 pm
Hey Rambo and Gorilla butt you guys are the same person right? Yes I did catch a lot of fish. Looking foward to seeing you team loose to Boise State more than my trip however. Take your crazy pill and go to bed.
ole yeller
August 26th, 2011
11:25 pm
Sorry Supersize, I should have known.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:26 pm
obviously that’s not the real Ramblin Man. Too bad Ken isn’t monitoring now to call him on it
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:28 pm
Bridges, I’m still waiting for you to tell me where I was wrong. You can’t, because you know that even the average management degree owner earns more than the average communications or education degree owner, and probably more than ever the superior communications or education degree owner.
Bridges falling down
August 26th, 2011
11:28 pm
ha, where? everything you posted is complete bs. Maybe a tek degree had a lot of balls back in the 1970’s but I think you need to get out of the house more.
Bridges falling down
August 26th, 2011
11:29 pm
btw those are YOUR bridges that fall down idiot
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:30 pm
Bridges, I think you need to try to get a good-paying job with whatever (if any) degree you have from UGA. You will learn fast who’s getting paid.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:32 pm
There you go with the name-calling again. You guys just can’t carry on a decent conversation for the life of you. You don’t like what you hear, so you slam whoever says it. You can slam the messenger, but you can’t slam the message.
RamboDog Returns!!
August 26th, 2011
11:33 pm
Ole Yeller, next weekend is the 1st BIG win in our run to the SEC Championship Game…big BCS win and top 5 finish. I am hoping your little team can become ranked before we spank them, helps out with the rankings thing.
Tech always wants us to lose, because they can’t beat us. I like to see GT win and be ranked so we can deflate the ego and make them cry…it’s fun!
UGA will walk on Boise…but you fools don’t understand football, so you actually believe they could win. Not a chance, sorry/
Buzz 2011
August 26th, 2011
11:34 pm
We want the Dawgs…. We are ” dreaming” about it already.. It will be a dream come true to play a dream team and beat them on North Avenue…………….
Supersize that order, mutt
August 26th, 2011
11:34 pm
Then why is Boise favored?