Ball security still challenges Synjyn Days
Greetings-
Have a couple notes from a few interviews Tuesday.
1. Both Paul Johnson and assistant coach Brian Bohannon took questions about backup quarterback Synjyn Days and their answers provided enough evidence to conclude that his ball security problems still require considerable improvement.
“Synjyn has to take care of the football,” Bohannon said. “It has to be of the utmost urgency when he is in the game, to take care of the football.”
I think I included some of this answer in the post Tuesday following Johnson’s news conference, but Johnson said he put Days in late in the loss to Miami to see if he could provide a spark. He got a first down on a pass to wide receiver Tyler Melton and had a quarterback draw that could have been a gainer had it been blocked better and then fumbled.
“That’s been his thing,” Johnson said. “If he takes care of the ball, he’s going to play more. Synjyn, he’s a talented kid. He can do some things, but you’ve got to take care of the ball.”
2. Quote from Johnson about the offense: “You could say execution, you can say whatever you want. It doesn’t matter what you do on offense, if you’re not moving the ball and scoring, it usually comes back to (the fact that) you’ve got to do that better. We need to help ‘em, maybe, with a better plan. Maybe some of the stuff that we’re trying to ask them to do, they can’t do.”
Roddy Jones thinks the offense isn’t too far from re-gaining its form.
“When we go back and watch the film, it’s not like everything’s going wrong and we’re all falling apart,” he said. “You see a stop in the backfield or a play by [an opponent], what you don’t see is everyone else did their job. If we get that one guy, we’re out of the gate. It’s just the little things we need to correct, and I think we’ll do that.”
I imagine you get tired of the “we just need to execute better” answer as I do, but I’ve seen the offense work enough times to great effect (and you have done so even more, I suppose) to think that the problem isn’t that opponents have figured out the offense. It’s poor decision making, missed blocks, bad throws, dropped passes and faulty play calls. That leaves room to say that those failures are a result of a talent shortage and that the Jackets wouldn’t have those problems with better coaching. Perhaps the remainder of the season will determine that if you haven’t already drawn your own conclusion. But consider that as poorly as last season went, the offense, with a lot of the same pieces as this year’s team, led the nation in rushing. (Which is a different thing than leading the nation in scoring, or wins, for that matter, but is not an accomplishment to be taken lightly.)
Take Washington as an example. He’s shown the ability make the right reads, both this year and last, and has enough speed to make plays. I don’t know how you’ll receive this, but I’ve included a clip of the second half of last year’s Virginia Tech game. Watch from about the 4:30 point on. Washington has some clunker plays, but he hits downfield passes, makes a first-down run out of nothing, manages the clock and leads Tech nearly the length of the field in two late-game drives. The very last play, you’ll remember, was not one to remember, but everything to that point would indicate that when he’s right, he’s more than capable.
I think right now a lot of it’s between his ears. Perhaps the same might be said of his teammates. How do they escape this predicament? That’s for them and the coaching staff to figure out.
3. A few people asked me about the offsetting penalties that wiped out Jones’ long first-quarter run against Miami, specifically if Tech could have declined Miami’s penalty and taken the facemask penalty against Jones as a spot foul. I asked Doug Rhoads, the ACC officiating coordinator, and he said no, that they were automatically offsetting because both were live- ball fouls. So, there’s your answer.
4. This is sort of random, but I’m wondering if someone out there can do a former Tech player a favor. You might remember I wrote a story prior to the Virginia game about the 1990 team’s comeback win at Virginia. Anyway, Calvin Tiggle was one of the former players I talked to, and I asked him about watching replays, and he said he’d lost his copy of the game. (He was one of Tech’s biggest stars that day.) He asked me if I had any idea how to get a copy of the game and I said I’d look into it. My first step failed. You are the second step. Would any of you have a copy of that game you’d be willing to make a copy of? E-mail me if so. I imagine Calvin would be grateful. ksugiura@ajc.com.
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
407 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:54 pm
awww, thanks, Tampa
LOL
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
5:54 pm
Tampa I didn’t say you were making a joke. I was asking that you not make a joke. Some(me included) make classless comments just to get a response. I hate that I do it but at time I find it fun too. Thanks for your respectful comment.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:54 pm
Delbert, that was a great article. Did you say that Branch has a response to it too?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:56 pm
Delbert, that was an interesting piece. Did you say that Branch has a response to it? And which one is the Pulitzer Prize winner who turned down a scholarship at Tech?
TampaDawg
October 26th, 2011
5:56 pm
Eh, I will NEVER try to make a comment that is personal on here. Even when I take shots at someone (Thomas Brown on the UGA blogs may be the lone exception), I still keep it football related. There was a point when I let myself fall into that mode but I have squashed that because in the grand scheme of things, IT’S JUST A GAME. And the true definition of success will never be wrapped up in a game.
superDawg
October 26th, 2011
5:57 pm
5150 I would take you up on the offer but you will vacate the stadium early after Clemson hangs 50 on gt.
TampaDawg
October 26th, 2011
5:57 pm
well fellas, gotta head home and tend to the kids. Dad duty is the best duty. Later and stay classy.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:58 pm
Did you guys know that the first word in the pre-constitution document know as the s of Confederation is a word that the filters won’t accept? Why the hell is that?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:58 pm
Guys, my manager and coworkers, who are all Dawg fans, are really harassing me at work. I need some witty comebacks to keep those bullies in line. Help me out here guys! Mom, didn’t prepare me for this kind of abuse!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
5:59 pm
oh, crap, here we go again with the fake Supersize. Why don’t you get a life, little girl?
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:00 pm
TAMPA the you will invite me to your home and i can wear My THONG on the beach? LOLOLOLOL……….I bet you would buy me a Jack and Coke too. LMAO……………….Be good Fun bantering with you.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:00 pm
OMG, UOAD. I’ve seen you, and I just don’t think that would be a pretty sight. LOL
superDawg
October 26th, 2011
6:02 pm
besides watching tek get beat is my second favorite thing to do.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:02 pm
SUPER KENTUCKY didn’t hang 50 on UGA before Uga VII died but the UGA fans were rushing out of the Septic Tank of the South. What is the difference?
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:03 pm
SUPER I got a NEW Tat on my Butt. LOL
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:03 pm
UOAD, I could have gone all the rest of my life without knowing that. LOL
superDawg
October 26th, 2011
6:06 pm
5150 I was there until the end as much as it hurt.Watching King fumble on the two yard line to take the lead and win the game was a heartbreak.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:06 pm
SUPERSIZE ask them why they didn’t fo to Agnes Scott? You know the OTHER White girls college in Georgia. AS just doesn’t have a bunch of dumb non-white boys playing football or basketball.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:08 pm
SUPER Dawg then you are the FAN we love. It don’t matter but the Warriors I back are still fighting the battle and I will be there. Good for you. I respect that.
superDawg
October 26th, 2011
6:08 pm
that was the first time Kentucky has won a game in Sanford stadium in 27 yrs.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:09 pm
Super – Branch won the Pulitzer earlier in life. He’s a few months younger than me, and he played at Westminster, a LB. We played St. Pius, but never played them. Try Googling After Leaving Football, a Historian Emerges as an N.C.A.A. Critic Written by Jorge Castillo The other links are in that piece
Maybe that will get by the filter
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:11 pm
OK, Delbert. Thanks
superDawg
October 26th, 2011
6:11 pm
good luck saturday but I don’t think tek can win this game.If they do have a tall one for me.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:13 pm
Super – I just figured out from your 5:58 post why my many previous attempts on the Branch thing got nixed by the filter. Calling it a piece worked okay.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:13 pm
Is this the Apocalypse? superDawg is actually being nice. I never thought I would live to see it. LOL
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:14 pm
Delbert, I got a clue about that word several weeks ago, but I just finally figured it out today. I have no idea what could possibly be wrong with it.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:15 pm
superDawg – Thanks for the thought. I’ll either be trudging back from the game or sailing gleefully. A brew will await me upon return.
George Stein
October 26th, 2011
6:17 pm
“besides watching tek get beat is my second favorite thing to do.”
What does this sentence even mean? The poor grammar makes it completely illegible.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:17 pm
I think piece sounds snarfier than the artic__ word.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:18 pm
Delbert, I agree, I was surprised that “piece” passed.
George Stein
October 26th, 2011
6:18 pm
I’m with you, Delbert. I’ll have a brew – or several – waiting irrespective of the outcome.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:18 pm
George – I think I know what his first favorite thing to do (alone), but it can’t be mentioned on this blog.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:19 pm
Let’s see if articulate is ok
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:20 pm
Delbert, I bet he’s not getting a piece when he does it. LOL
YIKES, I can’t believe I am actually posting this
A thing of the past
October 26th, 2011
6:21 pm
Someone was asking earlier this week why Tech couldn’t recruit any better than they do. Let me tell you why. The first reason is that the ACC is a weak football conference. Sure they have a team that rises up from time to time, but year in and year out the ACC is weak. Last year ESPN’S Reese Davis said ACC stood for the Awful coast conference. When Tech won the ACC a few years ago and played Clemson in the ACC championship game, both teams lost to middle of the road UGA and South Carolina. The next reason is there is no fan support. Why would a top recruit want to come to tech and play in front of 30,000, with exception to Clemson and Fla State, when he can go to the SEC or Big 10 and play in front of 90 to a 100,000 every week. The ACC can’t even fill half a stadium for it’s Champioship Game. The triple option is another reason. The triple option is a thing of the past. Do you remember when everyone use to run the option. The reason everyone stopped running it is because Bear Bryant stopped it. You will never get a top rated quarterback or receiver running the triple option. Paul Johnson has said several times that we are not in the top in recruiting because we don’t recruit like other schools do. Well CPJ you still have to play defense, and I don’t think that has anything to do with recruiting players on offense. I think CPJ is realizing after seeing his offense, which many high schools run, over the past few years that teams are starting to catch on again. Teams have had a hard time stopping it for the past few years because they have never seen it, but now they are catching on. When Tech gets out of the ACC against quality opponenets they don’t fair so well. CPJ has yet to win a bowl game with his offense at Ga Tech. The triple option may win a weak ACC Championship, but never a National Championship. That’s why Tech can’t recruit.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:24 pm
A thing of the past…………….You men the ACC actually wants the OTHER 96% of college ATHLETE students to get a valuable education? In the SEC the Plantation rules.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:26 pm
If the ACC is so unattractive for recruiting, then why was last year’s recruiting class at Clemson one of the tops in the country, and why does FSU’s recruiting rank so high every year. You’re kidding yourself if you think that the number of fans at a game affects recruits. They want to play, and rightly or wrongly, they believe fans will come to see a good team, which they want to be a part of. The triple option is only PART of Johnson’s offense; it’s just the part that gets the most attention and (from ignorant mutts like you) the most derision. Regardless of the quality of the opposition, the offense I saw in the first few Tech games this season was far more exciting to watch than anything I have seen on TV. Nobody catches on to Johnson’s offense any more than they do any other offense. When ANY good offense operates with precision, nobody can stop it, no matter what kind of offense it is.. You are just stupid.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:27 pm
Dinner time here. Later, guys
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:27 pm
Anybody want some Linguine with Mushrooms and Clam sauce? 1/2 creme and Sour Creme is thickening. The Clams are stewing. Mushrooms are in the butter and Garlic. Sorry I don’t bake bread so Piblix supplied that.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:29 pm
“The reason everyone stopped running it is because Bear Bryant stopped it.”
In the mid-eighties? Bryant retired in ‘82. Arkansas was still winning with the wishbone version in ‘85, and Nebraska ran their I-formation double option-with-designed-QB-run through the ’90s.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:32 pm
Georgia Tech typically runs the triple offense less than 50%. In an earlier game this year, CPJ said they ran it only 10 times.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2011
6:33 pm
Before I eat, I’m not even sure a Bear-coached team ever faced a triple option. And like Delbert said, he sure didn’t STOP it.
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:38 pm
Alabama definitely faced other wishbone offenses while they were running it. Emory Bellard ran it at Mississippi State.
George Stein
October 26th, 2011
6:42 pm
This is a family show, Delbert!
atlxmen
October 26th, 2011
6:46 pm
its pretty simple..no big time college running back to hand it off to in the middle like anthony allen…
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:55 pm
What is the simplest explanation is that the O-line is very young. 2 rs juniors and 3 rs sophs starting, and 4 freshman (3 true freshmen) backing them up, along with 2 rs sophs and a rs junior.
George Stein
October 26th, 2011
6:57 pm
Remind me who recruited Allen, atlxmen.
Buck
October 26th, 2011
6:57 pm
gonna laugh my arse off when tech gets blown out again after all this bs talk this week that were getting back on track. you aren’t winning with the chumps on that team, esp the qb
Delbert D.
October 26th, 2011
6:58 pm
TheXman
December 31st, 2010
8:10 am
“ucf? conf usa champs? haha..no way the bulldogs lose this game and the only way its close if uga gives the ball up 5 times on there own 15.
“the UCF hasnt really played anyone like the dogs all year and when they see how much bigger and stronger these guys really are look for ucf to lay down.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2011
6:59 pm
NO BIG TIME Wide receiver would EVER go to a HBC team, but Jerry Rice is still the leader in catches for the NFL. W. Moor could NEVER play in the NFL. Herschel WALKER played in the USFL. Where did J Tuggle play college ball? Other than Fran Tarkington what UGA QB matters in the NFL? I would rather have 27 Sean Bedfords over 2 NoShow Marinos or AJ Greenes, or Fat Matt Stiffords.