Tevin Washington gets a tune-up
Greetings-
Some notes from post-practice Tuesday. I’ll be back with more Wednesday morning.
1. Georgia Tech coaches are trying to mend what ails quarterback Tevin Washington.
Tech quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said he has been working with Washington on his throwing technique, particularly his follow-through. Washington has been struggling with falling away rather than finishing throws.
After completing 64.3 percent of his passes in the Yellow Jackets’ first four games, Washington has completed 35.3 percent in the past four. He threw a critical interception on Tech’s first play of the game Saturday in the loss to Miami. The Jackets undoubtedly will need Washington to play more proficiently against undefeated Clemson (No. 5 in the BCS standings) Saturday. Bohannon said Washington’s mindset is good, but that “I’m sure there’s a little bit of him pressing. He knows what to do. Play within the offense and execute.”
Coach Paul Johnson defended Washington’s play at his Tuesday news conference.
“Clearly, he can play better, but the guys around him have to play better, too,” he said.
(Bohannon said Washington probably “juiced” that pass against Miami, that is to say, was a little amped. By the way, I know there’s been some chatter about Synjyn Days replacing Washington in the lineup. For reasons I’ll get into Wednesday, I don’t see it happening. It’s sink or swim with the young man from Wetumpka, Ala.)
2. In an attempt to right his team’s course, team captain Roddy Jones gave the team a pep talk Monday.
“I just told the guys to keep their heads up,” Jones said. “We’ve obviously had a tough stretch, but we still have a lot in front of us.”
The Jackets are on a two-game losing streak after starting out 6-0. Jones, an A-back, reminded teammates that they can still have a great season by winning the remainder of their games to finish 10-2.
“That’s a great year, but it starts with Clemson, so everyone has to be accountable for their jobs and take personal ownership of their job,” he said. “If we do that, we’ll be just fine.”
(I couldn’t fit this in, but he clarified that players weren’t discouraged, but he wanted to be proactive as he realizes the team is taking shots from all sides.)
3. There were 55 Tech athletes among about 340 from five schools who signed a petition urging the NCAA to give athletes a share of the hundreds of millions of dollars in television contract money that goes to schools and conferences, according to an Associated Press report. Denzel McCoy, who is unable to play due to a heart condition, helped lead the drive. Jones was a mildly enthusiastic signee.
“This is my last year playing, so it’s not like I’m getting a whole lot of [the money],” Jones said. “I just kind of shrugged my shoulders and went along with what’s best for the guys here now.”
Johnson said he supported the players. “I’m all for the players getting whatever they can get,” he said.
(I’m not sure what will come of this – perhaps not much – and it’s odd timing that news of a proposal for a $2,000 cost-of-attendance stipend broke on the same day. But it’d be kind of crazy if this came to pass and McCoy was part of the movement’s leadership.)
4. Johnson said that center Jay Finch’s lower-leg injury sustained last Saturday “is not nearly as bad as they thought.” Finch was on crutches Tuesday and did not practice. Backup center Nick McRae and Ray Beno, who rotates at tackle, have been taking snaps at center in practice.
Clemson running back Andre Ellington was listed as questionable Tuesday with a sprained ankle. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he hoped Ellington would be ready to practice fully by Wednesday. Tigers tight end Dwayne Allen is nursing a turf toe injury and reportedly wore a walking boot Tuesday, but said he expects to play Saturday.
(Tech offensive lineman Morgan Bailey, who has been injured much of the year, is getting work at tackle. Clemson losing Ellington would be pretty significant. He zapped Tech for 155 yards last year and has speed on top of speed.)
5. At his news conference, Johnson said that Clemson is probably the most talented team he’ll have faced at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Asked if the game would be a track meet given Clemson’s speed, Johnson replied, “If we play (like we have) the last two weeks, it’ll be a one-sided track meet.”
At his news conference at Clemson, Swinney lobbed bouquets at Tech’s defense and coordinator Al Groh.
“They’re hard to move and they don’t give up a lot of big plays,” he said. “Their linebackers are rarely out of place and they tackle well. It’s a typical Al Groh-type of defense.”
(Kind of an interesting qualifier on Johnson’s statement. Perhaps in he was thinking of Iowa or LSU. In one of the times he complimented Maryland defensive tackle Joe Vellano after his 22-tackle game, he said he was probably the best player he’d coached against at Bobby Dodd.)
Thanks for reading. Please follow on Facebook and Twitter.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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282 comments Add your comment
carolinajacket
October 26th, 2011
9:49 am
It would help them even if it applied to any, if you are talking about the actual rates. Comparing institutions is rather tricky unless you include the different majors involved, and of course, this will never be done. Look at how some schools have many, if not most, of their player majoring in Sociology. I imagine most Tech players could graduate if they had a Sociology major available to them. But, again, this is not taken into consideration.
MakDawg
October 26th, 2011
9:54 am
@ carolinajacket…you are right, but please keep in mind that the majority of your athletes are majoring in business management which this major was created especially for the athletes. Most are not engineers.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:04 am
MakDawg, how about reading everything I wrote instead of just the parts you disagree with. Tech does NOT offer Business Administration; it offers Industrial Management, and it was NOT created for athletes. The IM school at Tech is one of the tops in the nation, and, like all the other schools at Tech, requires ALL students to complete (and pass) 2 semesters of calculus. Like I said before, even if it is the school of choice of the majority of the Tech athletes, it’s still more difficult to get through than the majority of the schools which athletes in Athens enroll in.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:06 am
Delbert D. posted this very informative list last night. I think it deserves a repeat post —-
98 percent of GT football players ar Management majors? So what?
Misc. info on some of 2011 the 2-deep players:
Quayshan Nealy – 1st team LB Computer Science major
Tevin Washington – 1st team QB Management major, pre-law
Emmanuel Dieke – 2nd team DE Biomedical Engineering major
Preston Lyons – 2nd team B-back History major ACC Academic Honor Roll 2010
Will Jackson – ACC All-Academic Team, 1st Team Freshmen All America in 2010
Trey Braun – 2nd team OL Mechanical Eng major
Synjyn Days – 2nd team QB biology major
Chandler Anderson – Punter Biology major
David Scully – kicker Biochemistry major
Morgan Bailey – Physics
Morgan Carter LB special teams r-So – Business & Public Policy – US Supreme Court Intern 2011
Darryl Dickey – aerospace engineering #3 QB
Jamal Paige – Industrial Engineering – special teams player
Roddy Jones – 1st team A-back grad student, 3-time Academic All-ACC
Logan Walls – 1st team NT grad student, 2-time Academic All-ACC
Jason Peters – 1st team DE Grad student-member of Ga. Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board
GT Dude
October 26th, 2011
10:08 am
based on the last two weeks…
Tevin doesn’t need a tune up, he needs an over haul
Hope he’s got it fugured out by Saturday
Stay Thirsty my Friends
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:08 am
MakDawg, why don’t you provide us with a similar list of what the football players in Athens are majoring in.
CloudmanJacket
October 26th, 2011
10:13 am
@ Supersize…Tech does offer a Bachelors in Science in Business Administration. Not sure if it was created for athletes, but that is what I majored in and I would say 80% of the people in my classes were athletes who could not make a complete sentence. So, it is a business administration degree and MakDAWG is partially correct.
Wild Bill
October 26th, 2011
10:14 am
A question for all you UGA lovers, how many UGA alumni have been to the moon?
Technically Correct
October 26th, 2011
10:14 am
Can Thomas Brown really not spell “tech?” Does he really mean “tek,” as in “a Siberian ibex?” Or, does he intend to misuse “tek” by choosing any one of several urban slang meanings, none of which even remotely fit the contexts of his missives. Perhaps, he just attended the “Unavusity of Jawjia.”
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:34 am
Cloudman, I did not know that. However, the school of Business Administration at Tech is still part of the college of Management, and the core curriculum is pretty much the same, as near as I can tell from what I just read online.
ty webb
October 26th, 2011
10:35 am
actually, Johnson has never won the ACC.
GT Joe
October 26th, 2011
10:35 am
GT doug and Paul. Sure, Chipper and Manning need some tweaks here and there. But they’d never be benched because there is no one on the bench that could fill those shoes.
On OUR bench, Synjyn is a better athlete, better runner, and AT THIS POINT, AT LEAST an equal passer to Tevin.
Tevin’s problems aren’t mechanics; it’s CONFIDENCE. He’s throwing off his back foot according to Bohannon, that’s CONFIDENCE. CPJ said he can’t SEE anything in Tevin that he can fix, which hints that it’s a mental issue, not physical.
Tevin is becoming Reggie Ball. The more failures, the deeper he will get into that hole. And the harder it will be to get OUT of the hole.
In fact, benching Tevin would actually HELP him mentally, get some pressure off of him.
Also, if the defenses are making the QB keep, we’d want Synjyn running with the ball rather than Tevin.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:36 am
Cloudman, from what I read, the BSBA program was NOT created for athletes, but because the term BA means more in the world of business than does IM, and it was felt that a BSBA would offer many more employment opportunities than a BSIM. I’m surprised that got through the Georgia Board of Regents and Legislature though.
Problem identified
October 26th, 2011
10:36 am
Supersize- UGA has won 2 conference titles and played for 3. In the current system of naming a NC, all a program can control is winning their conference. I’d say they’ve done quite well with their talent. Win the conference,then see what bowl you get stuck in. That’s how it works.
Keep banging the “underachievement” drum. It’s gotten you a whopping 1-9 record against the underachievers.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:37 am
ty webb, try telling that to the kids who played in that game, on both sides of the field. Besides that is under appeal, and if there is any justice in this world, that championship will be OFFICIALLY restored.
Gman
October 26th, 2011
10:37 am
Clemson will run up the score on Tech… Tigers 45 – Maggots 14
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:39 am
Problem identified, are you living in a state of denial? Why have Bama, LSU, Florida, Tenn, and (I forgot this one earlier) Auburn all won NC’s, but UGA has not even competed for one. I’d call that a pretty poor representation within the SEC.
Egg_guy
October 26th, 2011
10:39 am
Chan could recruit…..Johnson could care less about recruiting. He does not have the personality to get the 4 and 5 star players. Chan’s problem was Reggie Freakin Ball !!
I’m not writting this season off yet! GO JACKETS !!!!
Problem identified
October 26th, 2011
10:39 am
Wow- now we’re pulling out the “who’s majoring in what” card. What a disgrace. It’s a fact that Tech can get any football player they want enrolled in the program. I’ve had coaches tell me so. FACT. But if you want to sound like a total loser, start talking about graduation rates and majors, etc.
ty webb
October 26th, 2011
10:40 am
supersize,
you can have your own optimism(bless your heart), but you can’t have your own facts.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:41 am
Egg_guy, you are full of it. Overall, Chan’s recruiting was no better than Johnson’s. Chan had ONE year in which he brought in a better than average class….ONE YEAR !!!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
10:43 am
so ty, since you are so knowledgeable about FACTS, how about sharing them with us. And I mean FACTS, not some of your silly, made-up conjectures and assumptions.
ty webb
October 26th, 2011
10:45 am
supersize,
I already have, at 10:35.
Egg_guy
October 26th, 2011
10:46 am
Supersize……that’s one year more than CPJ has had. I love CPJ, I really do, just saying he needs to recruit better players. We got to beef up on Defense. How do you let that Tuitt or whatever his name was change his mind and go back to ND AFTER CPJ went to his house and visit?
GT Joe
October 26th, 2011
10:50 am
egg guy: we’ve been through this before. CPJ’s average recruiting class rank was BETTER than Gailey’s average recruiting class rank.
And Tuitt was never considering Tech. Let CPJ come over just to be nice.
Problem identified
October 26th, 2011
10:51 am
Denial Supersize? Who determined that those other sec teams would play for the title? They won the conference, then got put in a NC game. LSU did it with 2 losses in ‘07. Soooo, my point is proven.
T3
October 26th, 2011
10:52 am
Clemson is a a MUST WIN game for GT to have a shot at the ACC-CG.
If GT beats Clemson then the GT-VT game on November 10th
will probably determine the Coastal winner. Again.
I still think UVA will pull the upset on VT at the end of the year. UVA is due.
Temps down to 40 Degrees Saturday night. Oddly, I think that favors GT.
Either way, I think this will be a very close game.
Clemson’s primary offensive strength has been its passing game.
GT’s primary defensive strength has been its passing defense.
Something’s got to give. I believe GT will have at least 2 INTs.
Egg_guy
October 26th, 2011
10:55 am
GT Joe……what are you smoking? Chan recruitted Calvin Johnson, B B Thomas, Nesbitt, Dwyer, many others…
GT Joe
October 26th, 2011
10:59 am
Egg: stick with your anecdotal evidence. I’ll stick with the facts. Go to rivals.com and prove it to yourself.
I can only lead you to water, I can’t make you drink.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:02 am
Egg_guy, that was ONE year. When the AVERAGE quality of recruiting classes is better for one than the other, then that means that the one with the higher average is better. Like GT Joe said, Johnson’s average is better than Chan’s, that one year notwithstanding.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 26th, 2011
11:06 am
Super, I’ll look for ya’ll before the VT game while my wife shops.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:06 am
ty, and the fact is that it is under appeal, and, like I said, if there is any justice in this world, that appeal will be upheld. The FACTS of the case do not support stripping the title. And considering the slaps on the wrist that OSU and Miami got for far worse “infractions”, it should be a no-brainer. Of course, we are dealing with a brainless NZAA (intentional misspelling), so maybe there is no justice.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:09 am
GIVE ME…., sounds good. We’ll work it out.
ty webb
October 26th, 2011
11:11 am
supersize,
well if the appeal is successful, then Johnson will have won one ACC title…but as of right now, the fact is, he hasn’t won an ACC title. I just wanted to correct one of your earlier comments.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:13 am
ty, WHATEVER
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
11:13 am
The various pay-for-play plans are discussed on a formerly-private blog by John Infante. Infante is the assistant director of compliance at Colorado State University. His recent blogs have addressed the potential ramifications of how the NCAA fits in a much larger system of amateur athletics and external organizations. A few weeks ago his blog was about how big-time money sports and Title IX and other mens’ sports can be affected by pay-for-play.
Go the the NCAA.org web site and scroll down to the NCAA Blogs section. Infante doesn’t pull any punches regarding the NCAA and its many issues.
Pickle Tile
October 26th, 2011
11:15 am
Once a nerd in the basement, always a nerd in the basement. Supersize moniker stays up late at night and then jumps on early in morning. My question is did he ever leave mom’s basement in 60+ years?
Pickle Tile
October 26th, 2011
11:16 am
Give Me:
would that be the mail order variety?
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 26th, 2011
11:17 am
Tech probably didn’t have attorneys to begin with but they do now so the appeal looks promising. Won’t make that mistake again.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:18 am
I would hardly consider 9AM to be early in the morning, Pickle
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
11:21 am
Delbert, check your late night email. And GIVE ME…., don’t forget to drop me an email at some point
Paul Johnson
October 26th, 2011
11:21 am
Thank you all for the support in my ability to recruit. Everyone knows I do a great job at recruiting and bringing in those fine upstanding engineers in the making football players. With the fine quality of men I am bringing we will no longer be last in graduation rates in the A She She.
Tech 54
October 26th, 2011
11:23 am
Changing gears for a moment, please indulge my opinion posting and thanks in advance.
Looking at Georgia Tech, Georgia graduation rates
An article written by Tim Tucker with contributions by Ken Sugiura displays inexcusable bias in my unsolicited opinion.
Here is a pull quote: “Georgia Tech ranks last among ACC schools in graduation rates for football and men’s basketball programs, according to figures released Tuesday by the NCAA. Georgia ranks near the middle of the SEC in those sports.”
The phrase “near the middle”, while somewhat explainable, is the basis for my complaint about bias in reporting. A more positive characterization, relatively speaking, would seem more appropriate.
For a point of reference, the teaser headline on AJC.com home page reads:
Ga. Tech ranks last in ACC grad rates
*************************
Here is the rub in my opinion, and let me say that I wish the stats were different, but there seems an apparent bias against our Athens based university based upon the following data:
Both conferences are presently comprised of twelve teams each in men’s football and basketball.
The GT grad rate for football is 55% and for basketball 27% with an overall all-sports graduation rate of 77%, which equates to ELEVENTH in the ACC.
The UGA grad rate for football is 65% (5th in SEC) and for basketball 43% with an overall all-sports graduation rate of 79%, which equates to FOURTH (tied) in the SEC.
I would prefer to see both of these fine institutions lifted up whenever the opportunity arises. Yes, both universities could do better and should strive for better results, but an opportunity to write something with a more positive slant was missed here, and I suspect diliberately.
ty webb
October 26th, 2011
11:24 am
supersize,
ya’ll still get to keep the “we beat georgia 45-42″ rings, so you got that going for ya…which is nice.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 26th, 2011
11:25 am
Super, just sent one.
gt4ever
October 26th, 2011
11:30 am
Hire The fridge as your offensive coordinator…. Otherwise continue to watch the downfall of the GT football program…. Sorry Super, the truth is ugly and painful…
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
11:31 am
Many bloggers debase students who qualify for and major in science, math, engineering and management. That is called envy. Such bloggers would not likely be students at the University of Georgia studying science, math engineering and management (nerds). Such bloggers would also envy students studying law, pharmacy, pre-med and veterinary medicine. These bloggers envy anyone capable of achieving more than they themselves can achieve.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 26th, 2011
11:35 am
Remember that some of these athletes are 18 yrs. old while others may be 23. That’s a big difference in development and maturity.
Thomas Brown
October 26th, 2011
11:35 am
“Thomas Brown, the low graduation rate in basketball is because of all Hewitt’s players who left early for the pros.”
_______________________________________________
Are you referring to the ones currently charged with MURDER ?
gt4ever
October 26th, 2011
11:36 am
Why are we talking about academics? Someone please explain! This is a football blog, and I don’t give one crap about the graduation rates of any school… Can we please keep on topic…