Paul Johnson on uniqueness of 2011 offense
Greetings-
A few points from Paul Johnson’s news conference.
1. Johnson said he was thinking this morning about the nature of this year’s offense, and how it’s “kind of unique” because there isn’t a player that needs to have the ball like Jonathan Dwyer or Anthony Allen. The team is more athletic across the board, but Johnson doesn’t feel the need to scheme the offense to get one particular player a lot of touches.
“If they want to take away David Sims, then, O.K., we’ll give it to Orwin Smith,” he said. “If they want to take away Orwin, we’ll do whatever. It isn’t so much tweaking it to get the ball to certain individuals as it is kind of running the system.”
2. Johnson noted that Tony Zenon didn’t get many snaps Saturday against North Carolina, calling it an oversight.
“We need to get him in some,” he said.
3. In response to a question about the Russell Wilson situation over the summer that led him to transfer from N.C. State to Wisconsin, Johnson said he has had players who played for the baseball team (Roddy Jones played for the Tech baseball team in 2010) but never one who wanted to play minor league baseball over the summer. He said he didn’t know what he’d do if the situation arose.
“I’m not touching that one,” he said.
4. Johnson stressed that the team hasn’t accomplished anything yet, a message players I’m guessing players have heard.
“All they have to do is look and see we’ve played a third of the season,” he said. “You’d better have laser vision, tunnel vision, one game at a time. That’s the way you’ve got to play the game.”
5. Johnson said guard Omoregie Uzzi is moving better and is lighter than a year ago, but is also simply stronger, more mature and more knowledgeable in the offense.
6. Jeff Greene, who sat out Saturday’s game with an injury, practiced Monday and will play Saturday. The kickoff specialist spot between Chandler Anderson and Justin Moore will be determined again in practice this week. Johnson wasn’t happy with the kicking game in general, as well as the kickoff return team.
7. Johnson said quarterback Tevin Washington has played well and done a good job of distributing the ball. Johnson said that quarterbacks “very seldom” audible. They occasionally will change the direction of a play and sometimes have an “either-or” call. Said Johnson, “He’s dine a nice job on that.”
Johnson also pointed out that the offense hasn’t run the triple-option play much because defenses are geared to stop it.
Thanks for reading. I’ll post practice notes 9-ish.
Please follow on Facebook and Twitter.
By Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
293 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:05 pm
They just showed the Sweeting hit on the CSS replay. There WAS helmet-to-helmet contact, but it looked like the UNC receiver is the one who lowered his head. Does the penalty always go against the defender even if the offensive player actually caused it to happen?
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:10 pm
Probably always.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:11 pm
That stinks
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:12 pm
1 4GT – My paternal grandfather and his family were from there; he was a gold miner. His family moved out of Dahlonega in th late ’30s, but my great-uncle and his descendants were still there in the ’60s. I’d go with my dad and grandfather to see them a couple of times a year.The family home was a big white house with a blacksmith shed at the back of the property adjacent to an alley. The house and shed were still there as of a couple of years ago when I drove through the town, but with some younger residents.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:12 pm
Sort of like some of those blocks in the back, when the player being blocked actually turns himself so that he does get hit in the back. BOGUS
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:12 pm
When you see what happened to Toledo, it’s best to keep the officials out of the game.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:13 pm
High praise from the ‘SUPER’ one.
But I was half serious…
Idiot Savant
September 27th, 2011
5:17 pm
So then… What Paul is saying, in a nutshell, is that he has options with this offense?
Whodathunkit???
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:17 pm
What happened to Toledo?
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:18 pm
Look for Zenon to have a big game after being overlooked for NC.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:19 pm
Someday there will be invisible dots on the football and uniforms and lasers on the boundary lines, goal line, posts, and movable chain-sticks. Complete 3-D coverage of the whole field. I’m not to keen on the Buzz Lightyear one-piece helmet and shoulder pads, though.
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
5:20 pm
Supersize–I saw the same thing on the game replays. Yes, it goes against the defender for h2h hits even though the opponent lowers his head too. I guess they assume he being self-defensive.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:22 pm
Super – The nytimes site has a description of the Syracuse-Toledo finish headlined on the sports-college football page. I saw the replays on TV, and the ball definitely glanced to the left off the upright.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:23 pm
From our seats, the ‘50′ about 20 rows up, the H2H looked legit. I always record games and I ran it over and over and Sweets LED with hisshoulder pads and the receiver, seeing him coming, LOWERED his head to take the hit / give it back. It was football – both of them.
Don’t penalize, praise them both for being true football palyers. Which I’m sure Coach Groh did to Sweets at some point.
But I would recommend an alternate PINK flag for refs to use when they have an urge to play PC with football.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:24 pm
SUPER – Toledo got robbed worse than us – it cost them the game…Scuse PAT got called good after even replay showed it missed.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:25 pm
One of the offensive assistants must be in charge of the A-back shuttle lineup during the game. I imagine CPJ who is going to join the rotation, based on his comments that Ken reported.
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
5:26 pm
Delbert D. I would like to be able to have a sit down & compare notes some time. My Dad had a Grand Uncle that was a 49′er. He had an article from the Dahlonega newspaper about how he struck it rich. but according to my Dad he it spent on cards, whiskey & women on his return trip to Ga.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:27 pm
Syracuse was awarded an extra point that clearly missed. Even after a review the officials said it was good. Toledo kicks a field goal that ties the game, but should have been the winning field goal. They go to OT and Syracuse kicks winning field goal. Officials admit the mistake but will not overturn. I hope I got it right.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:28 pm
BREAK – dead on.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:29 pm
GT71 – The head-to-head contact penalty is unworkable, both in college and pro football. There has to be some other solution. In the NFL, fines have been handed out even though no penalty was calle don the play. Short of playing without helmets, there has to be some technical solution.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:30 pm
Ouch, it still hurts to see Hill drop the ball.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:30 pm
I just saw the video, and the PAT was definitely not good. That is disgraceful that they reviewed it and still gave it to them. WOW
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
5:31 pm
GT 71. Good analysis. That’s exactly the way I saw on TV. Really not a good call, but I understand the reasoning in trying to reduce the number of brain rattling hits.
macrotech
September 27th, 2011
5:36 pm
I believe that they vacated the win….I saw the AD for Toledo talking about moving on….something like that.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:39 pm
When I played, the hard-plastic shell Riddell helmets had a 4-vertical strap webbing design, with a circumferential strap around the forehead and back of the head. Other than leather around the ears, there was no other padding. The strap system simply distributed the shock of impact and hardly lessened it. The internal padding is completely different today, but the problem is shock absorption. Motorcycle helmets (I wear the hull helmet with flip-up visor) are designed to crush on impact, which absorbs most of the shock. Football may eventually have to adopt a similar helmet design to protect against concussions, which cause brain injury.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:41 pm
macrotech – In the report in the Times, Toledo petitioned for the game to be vacated, but it was refused. I haven’t checked to see if that has changed, however.
Mike S
September 27th, 2011
5:44 pm
Tracy Ham is entering the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Already in The Georgia Southern HOF.
Who is better? Nobody has ever run the triple option like him in this state. And he could throw too. Won MVP in the CFL, won a Grey Cup. Some idiot Dawg fans will say…”The CFL? Who cares? The SEC is better than the CFL.”, but thirty years ago the CFL had high caliber talent as there was no NFL Europe (now defunct) or “practice squads”. Also, Tracy was drafted in the third round by what was then the Los Angeles Rams, but they wanted him to play RB or safety. He chose to play QB in a different league.
The Dream
September 27th, 2011
5:46 pm
Nobody has bragged on the offensive line, but this is where it all starts. They have been doing great so far and I hope Ken talks about them more. As a unit, we wouldn’t accomplish any of the things we have done so far without them. Go Jackets !! And keep kicking butt (I mean Mutt) on that offensive line.
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
5:46 pm
Delbert D. It was the same when I played. I have wondered if those type helmets wouldn’t be more protective in lessening the concussive impacts.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:48 pm
” GOON SQUAD ” They handed it to NC.
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
5:48 pm
To whomever—-KEN——I sure am getting fed up with having to log off and back on to see any postings after I make my comments.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:51 pm
14GT, will it refresh at top of screen.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:53 pm
Yeah! You have to click away to notice your typos…
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:54 pm
It sometimes even takes forever for the screen to refresh. I don’t know if it’s my connection, my browser, or the fault of the ajc.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
5:54 pm
Until that one….what gives?
BUt like they say, it’s electrons and not even Heisenberg can tell you where one of them little fellers is from moment to moment..
Tech joke – sorry.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 27th, 2011
5:56 pm
GT71, that sounds like something one of my physics profs would actually have said in a lecture
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:56 pm
It’s usually the IP. I have to restart when signal gets weak. I have ATT, probably should use Comcast.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:56 pm
1 4 GT – When I first started practicing with the HS team, there were a couple of old-style ’50s helmets in the locker room. They were padded using strips of leather all over the insides surrounding some softer stuff, probably flax or some material, that absorbed some of the shock. Those Riddells were painful when you got hit. As an end on defense and offense, I took a pounding on offense in practice. Out initial defensive move in the 5-4 DE position was to deliver a direct shot to the helmet of the offensive player using the heel of both hands to “disorient” him. I’ll say it was disorienting; I’d feel it all the way down the neck. It would not only be 15 yards today, but disqualification as well.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:57 pm
Way over my head.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
5:58 pm
GT71 – “not even Heisenberg can tell you where one of them little fellers is from moment to moment.”
Are you certain about that?
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
5:58 pm
GT won again.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
6:00 pm
I’m on Comcast, and I have the same problem. It looks like the server stacks up sometimes and then a flood of messages come out.
1 4 GT
September 27th, 2011
6:01 pm
GIVE ME A BREAK—thkx for the refresh tip—I haven’t even been seeing any new postings at all after I log on the 1st time, Refreshing seems to work on that. I”ll give it a try after this post. I too use ATT & I have read the signal weakens as it gets further from the signal source.
Sarge1
September 27th, 2011
6:06 pm
If you think this season holds a lot of promise…..if you think Tevin is such a good QB, then wait until next year when Vad Lee beats him out for the QB spot. He will light it up and bring to mind an older PJ QB – Tracey Ham.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
6:07 pm
Enter your comments here1 4 GT – Do you have a wireless connection from your machine to the router or modem? Wireless signal strength will decrease with distance per the inverse square law of radiation, but using digital modulation, it means a slowdown due to rebroadcasting for error correction.
GT71
September 27th, 2011
6:08 pm
It’s the principle of the thing…
okokok, no more ’science’ jokes.
2006 jacket grad
September 27th, 2011
6:09 pm
Hey fellow fans. H2H is a serious issue — its not the concussions that is the problem. It’s the axial load caused by lower the head and causing huge compression forces on the cervical spine (NECK). This is really the only way you can break your neck playing football. LOWERING your head is a BAD thing not because of concussions but because it could make you a quadriplegic. I don’t think that call was right, shoulder definitively hit first — but I understand the rule.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
6:09 pm
It’s nice to Vad and Broderick in a redshirt. The offense should have them excited about next year. Things are looking up.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2011
6:11 pm
Lee and Washington are the same size, but Washington will have had a year and a half of starting experience over Lee (assuming no injury this year). I can’t see CPJ turning the keys over to Lee, rather working him in as a freshman with Washington, who will be the senior.
GIVE ME A BREAK
September 27th, 2011
6:12 pm
Poor helmet position knocked me out twice. You learn from your mistakes.