Paul Johnson Q&A
Opening statement:
Anytime you lose, it’s certainly disappointing. I give Georgia a lot of credit. They’ve got a good football team. They showed up and they played very well. For us, the margin of error was small and we didn’t take advantage of a couple of opportunities we had early and when we didn’t do that, we got behind and we never could claw ourselves back into the game.
It was kind of a tale of two halves. The first half, we had a hard time getting them slowed down and the third quarter, we kind of self-destructed offensively, turning the ball over. But like I said, I give them credit. They came in here and they did what they had to do. I thought their kids played hard and they won the game.
On lack of pass rush:
They did a nice job of protecting their quarterback. We didn’t get to him much. We’ll have to look at the tape. Anytime guys get that open at times, we turned a couple guys loose in coverage, especially crossers. A couple times, they just beat us. They ran a post-corner (route) and beat us down on the goal line. … The play where the tight end caught the touchdown in the back of the end zone in the third quarter, we called the play. We knew the play and they still completed it. So you’ve got to give them credit for that. The bottom line is they made plays when they had to.
On Synjyn Days‘ play:
Tevin Washington has been our quarterback all year. I’m excited about Synjyn. I think he can bring something to the game. It’s not fair to evaluate him on the two series he got to play in that game.
On reverse pass play to open the game:
It’s a play we’ve worked on all year. It’s just a reverse pass. It went about as planned except we didn’t complete it. We had some guys open, I think. It’s something (that) you’ve got to execute those things. It was one play in the game. It certainly didn’t determine the outcome of the game.
On expecting so much passing:
Not really. We game planned for whatever. I was just trying to look (at the stats). I mean, they ran the ball 28 times out of 57 plays. That’s about half the time. It got a little heavy towards the end, but they were having much more success throwing it than running it. I don’t know that was so much by design. You kind of do what you’re having success with. I’m sure if they were gashing us running the ball, they would have run the ball, although they ran it pretty good on us that last drive at the end there when they were trying to run out the clock.
On Georgia’s special teams:
They’ve got a really good kicking game with both those kickers. They just kind of rotate and they both banged it six yards deep on kickoffs. The punter hit some great punts, pinned us down. They didn’t punt the first half but in the second half he pinned us inside the 10 twice. The field-position game was not as favorable as you would have liked. We actually started the game out getting a pretty good punt and pinning them back, but they kind of flipped the field on us. Even with the interception, we ended up back on our end.
On the timeout negating the missed field goal:
It just seems like sometimes that’s the way it goes. There’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes it goes that way. Plenty of times I’ve seen where you call timeout and the guy makes the field goal and they have to kick it again. Trust me, if I’d have known they would have a bad snap, I wouldn’t have called timeout.
On play of David Sims:
I thought David Sims played really hard. He made some really nice runs. He had a nice run on the goal line on a touchdown, he had a nice run on a screen pass. I thought David played hard.
On the start to the second half:
It wasn’t good. It’’s not exactly the way you want to start the second half. The guy got outside our contain guy. Our guy couldn’t get off that block. It was a good one. (Johnson was being sarcastic about the block.)
On defense not being able to get a stop:
It’s deflating. I think it deflates the whole team. The other thing that’s deflating is giving up the score before halftime after you score. That’s probably the third or fourth time that’s happened this year, where you grind the thing out, you make a fourth down, you go down, you score with a minute left and – boom – they come back and score. And even thought it was a field goal, it changes the momentum and changes the way things go. We tightened up in the third quarter and played better defensively, and then the offense went helter kelter there with turnovers.
On if Washington’s first interception was a broken play:
It wasn’t a broken play. I don’t know till you look at the tape. We need to hit some of those plays. When we’re really successful, we hit some of those and stay on the field and get some big plays. I think there was another time – you were talking about the reverse – the first time we ran the play action off the toss, they turned the wheel route loose and we missed that, too, down the sideline. It could have been a huge play.
When you’re playing a good team and they’re a good football team, you’ve got to hit those. When you get a chance, you’ve got to take advantage of them.
On Roddy Jones playing his last game and setting the school record with 51 career starts:
Roddy’s just a great person besides a really good football player, and a model student-athlete. He’s got tons of character. He’s got tons of it. He’s going to be very successful at whatever he decides to do. He’s been a big part of a lot of real positives for Georgia Tech while he’s been here, both on the field and off the field. Personally, I’ll miss him a lot. He’s a great kid.
On if losing to Georgia hurts more:
It hurts every time. Anytime, if you’re a competitor and you lose, it hurts. I hurt myself, but I also hurt for those kids, because they wanted to win that game badly. They wanted to play well and win the game, and you hurt that you couldn’t help them find a way to do it.
On the problems covering crossing routes:
Usually if guys are running wide open it’s (a mistake in) coverage. I don’t know the specific one you’re talking about; they hit a couple of crossers. We’ll have to look and see. I think that and, again, with the calls I’d be just trying to guess without going back and looking at the specific defensive call and seeing what happened on the tape. But, yeah, we had trouble covering them, especially in the first half
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431 comments Add your comment
CarolinaJacket
November 27th, 2011
7:02 pm
PS It didn’t show a lot of class.
Winning!
November 27th, 2011
7:06 pm
The Tech fans we encountered were mostly polite with the exception of the occupy wall street loser and his followers sitting behind us! Rude and crude does not do them justice! Total lack of class and when the game started going south then the personal attacks started! We were told we were in their world and that’s what we should have expected! With the talk about how superior an education from Tech is over UGA, I would have expected them to have a better grasp of the english language to express themselves! However, they sounded closer to the psycho from Alabama who poisoned the trees at Toomers Corner in Auburn. Sorry Bama I really didn’t mean to put you on such a low level but these boys were the example of how not to raise your children!
To sum it up punk fans led by a punk coach! (punch UGA fans, retard)
What a shinning example of character you have at Tech in you head coach! You all there should be so proud!
Sent from my iPad
Intrepid
November 27th, 2011
7:07 pm
Hey Saban, you worrying about GA game results. That’s the problem with you tech guys, you need to worry about tech and not GA.. We are in the game and we will have a high bowl game as well. Accept it boy. Until your team does something that effects GA, you need to shut up and I even think most of your colleagues will agree with me. Bragging that GA will lose to teams that you have nothing to do with is “retarded” .. Ash PJ!
CHOP BLOCK U
November 27th, 2011
7:07 pm
Why not ask coach Moobs why he trains and practices gutless, cowardly, dangerous chop blocks? Even the announcers were calling out Tek’s chop blocks nearly every down. It’s disgusting.
31-17!!!
CHOP BLOCK U
November 27th, 2011
7:08 pm
“class” is the last thing a Tek fan should be talking about.
31-17!!!
CHOP BLOCK U
November 27th, 2011
7:11 pm
Funny, for the past 3 straight years that UGA has won it’s been because GT was just so “young.” LOL!!!
1 4 GT
November 27th, 2011
7:11 pm
supsalemgr—A few years ago Mich & OSU were ranked 1 & 2 (the 1st MNC for Fl?) and there was a lot of buzz about a rematch with OSU #1 & U of Mich 2#. OSU beat U of Mich for Big 10 trophy. The rematch buzz was still out there until enough voters said they would not vote it that way. The public was against a rematch too. I just do not think we should have a team playing for the MNC and not be a conference champion unless said team is an independent ala ND.
makai
November 27th, 2011
7:16 pm
CPJ said that there wasn’t much difference between the ACC’s and SEC’s middle ranked teams as Saturday’s games would show. Well, he’s wrong again SEC won the match ups 3-1 and the games weren’t close.
1 4 GT
November 27th, 2011
7:18 pm
CarolinaJacket–how did Tech insult the Georgie players before the game? I didn’t see anything on TV that I thought would be insulting.
CarolinaJacket
November 27th, 2011
7:20 pm
No, the DAWGS have won because they have better players. Hopefully, that will even out a bit, but it will always be hard for Tech to recruit against UGA. And Tech’s defense might get better next year if the players mature and improve. If they don’t, we will be in trouble again.
Shan
November 27th, 2011
7:21 pm
Tired of losing to the worst fans in America….THis is the one game that most GT fans look foward to every year…if we cannot ever maybe we should play someone else or go to the same division as Georgia southern….
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:22 pm
im starting to think most Tech fans are Liberal.blame everyone else but yourselves.How Sweet It Is
CarolinaJacket
November 27th, 2011
7:28 pm
The announcers said that the Tech players were hurling “smack talk” at the Georgia guys. Now maybe that’s cool, but I’m one who believes in holding off until after the game, and even then, win with class. I guess I was too much influenced by Bobby Dodd when I was a kid. He would scold the Tech students if they got out of line.
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:28 pm
whenYALL gonna engineer a win against us Walmarters? blahahahahahah
WnE
November 27th, 2011
7:29 pm
Why did none of the Media ask Coach Kung Fu Panda after the game if he thought that his “perceptions” of the SEC were still the same after LOSING to uga for the 3rd straight yr.?
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:30 pm
All year again. bla bla bla
Buzz Belle
November 27th, 2011
7:32 pm
Winning – for every story you have I can give you four to match, in Athens, over a 30 year period. Main reason I don’t go to Athens anymore – vile language, being spit on, garbage thrown throughout, and people urinating in public is common even when you win. To the Tech fans who want to get rid of CPJ, come on! This is his first year with 100% of his recruits. We have an incredibly young team and we did so much better than any of us expected. It’s always hard to lose but we have a bowl game to go to. To all the UGa fans who want to give smug remarks, paybacks are hell and this year they are about 6 days away from you. Good luck with that LSU thing.
1 4 GT
November 27th, 2011
7:33 pm
I see that someone suggested GT hire Mike Leach. He won pretty good @ TxT in Lubbock, Tx. I don’t know how he was able to recruit kids to come there. Nothing around there but cows, wind, grit, cactus, tarantulas, scorpions, snakes and coyotes. Oh yeah, it’s hotter than blue blazes. Very similar offense, but he believed in passing. His teams didn’t play much defense. Just a younger version of CPJ I think. They won like 59 to 53 or some such. MAYBE A GOOD FIT??Maybe Not??
Tech86
November 27th, 2011
7:36 pm
O’leary 28-18, Gailey 28-22, Johnson 34-18- Records after first 4 seasons. Loved O’leary, but did not capitalize on success in 98 and just seemed to mail it in 2001, Hated Gailey-played as if the schedule was 16 games and if you won 8 you made the playoffs and after 51-7 pasting by UGA, would have fired him on the spot-”guess I did not have the team ready”, we lost to Wake in ACC Championship with Calvin Johnson and Tashard Choice!!, come Tech fans, Johnson maybe a butthole to many of you, but I would much rather have a hard nose, snarky coach than Chan the man, also, I saw plenty of times when O’Leary got into the kids face when the missed an assignment. Ask the kid from Bama about screwing up on the kickoff return that Auburn returned to start 2nd half, Saban was all over him and he was not on the kickoff team the rest of the night. It is not X’s and O’s it’s the Johnny and Joe’s, get more of them, we win more games. Our margin of error is ever so thin, a punch against Va Tech, a block in the back 25 yards downfield on a TD run against UVA, missing a wide open Stephen Hill on first play of game,(may not have changed outcome but we will never know). Let’s face it, we need to recruit beef up front for D-line and we have 2 monster freshman redshirting to play LB next year. Also, on Academic front, back in the 80’s Homer Rice wanted to add a series of courses in Managment school for Athletic Administration, was shot down by Board of Regents and Old Alumni, just think if we had Sports admin as a minor, what our athletes could be studying. Go Jackets!!
ME Jacket
November 27th, 2011
7:38 pm
If you receive a diploma from the Georgia University System, you have accomplished a great deal, regardless of the school. If you get up every morning and work hard for a living to support your family, you a a great American, and have earned my respect, and the respect of other Georgia Tech and Georgia grads. The school that you have chosen, and the path you have taken is less important than the fact that you have made the commitment and devoted your efforts in completing something of value for your life, your family, and society. Football is great, but in the end, we are fellow gentlemen and lady Georgians, and must live to a higher standard than what we read in these posts.
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:39 pm
CPJ is good coach,and he is a winner.Love his passion.Liked him all the way back to GS.Its just the Tech fans i dislike.
William Casey
November 27th, 2011
7:41 pm
UGA was clearly the better team on Saturday. That being said, if GT had a QB who could pass with even a little bit of accuracy (not talking Andrew Luck or RGIII here), this game would have been competitive. CPJ’s system forces a lot of single coverage and we have always been able to recruit at least one great receiver. Perhaps Days or Lee is the answer. All is not lost.
In any case, IMHO it’s abundantly clear that Tevin Washington, fine student/athlete that he is, has taken the Jackets as far as he’s capable of doing… beating teams we should beat and losing to those with better talent. Time to do something about it. I realize that Washington is the starter for a reason, almost certainly practice performance and ball security. However, it’s time to find out what Days can do as “the man” in a real game. I’d like to see him start the bowl game. The opponent won’t be of UGA’s or VT’s calibre, but it will be a competent winning team, a realistic test. If Days does well, leave him at QB for the Spring competition for the job. If not, move him to A-Back or defense. He’s too good an athlete not to play somewhere. With Dwyer at B-Back & Bay Bay at WR, we might be able to win the significant games with Tevin at QB. Without playmakers, it won’t happen.
GT 94
November 27th, 2011
7:42 pm
DAWGFAN, i will be paging you after this saturday and see if your still bumping your gums but i have a feeling you will be MIA!!! You guys could be worldbeaters in the ACC for sure but you play in the SEC. Let’s see how bad LSU drills you guys saturday. I believe a reality check is coming. You surely are better than GT, but not in the discussion with the bama or lsu elite. Hell, the hogs would have beaten you guys this year IMO. Get ready to be drummed in the DOME AGAIN in the same year!!!! lmao
fan of shorter passes
November 27th, 2011
7:44 pm
TechMan indicated the Tech D guy was too old to coach…LOL…he is not even 70. He might not be able to get the 3/4 going the way we want but that probably has more to do with the talent/size than age. Will he be retained for next year? Will Washington be the starting QB next year? If so, it would seem doubtful if Tech will improve. On another blog, GT UT indicated he thought Washington had improved this season…I would disagree. His “reading” of the option and passing both seem no better than earlier in the season.
A prediction: VPI will beat Clem in Charlotte.
1 4 GT
November 27th, 2011
7:45 pm
Tech86….while I pretty much agree with you about coaches, I do think CPJ needs to be on a short leash, if there is not evident improvement in playing and recruiting, he needs to find other employment. I did not know that about Sports Management/Administration courses being lobbied for and shot down. I would like to know if the “old alumni” regret their opposition now.
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:45 pm
GT94,Its me not you. im sure you have heard that alot
William Casey
November 27th, 2011
7:45 pm
BTW— I want CPJ to be at GT until he retires. Good fit.
CarolinaJacket
November 27th, 2011
7:46 pm
Belle, I have never once attacked the University of Georgia (the oldest state university in the country), nor its football team — I have great respect for Aaron Murray, but I do have some problems with their fans. A funny story. A few years ago, actually, back in the late 70s, I went to a Georgia game. It was the first game of the year and they were playing a very weak Wake Forest team. There were signs all around the stadium of how UGA was Sugar Bowl bound — that was the big game back then. Lo and behold, Wake won the game. Well, now we get to the point of the story. After the game the Georgia players left the field coming up a walk way which had “fans” lined up on both sides. guess what. I could not believe it. The fans hurled insults and deroggatory remarks AT THEIR OWN TEAM. That was something I had never seen before or since. Now, I’m sure there will be some real crap sent my way after this one, but it was a fact and whereas there have been times when some Tech fans surely have shown then butts, I don’t think they ever reached this level.
GT 94
November 27th, 2011
7:46 pm
DAWGFAN, you run your d*cksucker on every GT blog. Congrats for beating the ACC 4th or 5th best team. Go beat your chest like tarzan for the amazing accomplishment. I will be looking for you on the UGA blog on saturday! Let’s see what you have to say then. You sir, are a waste of sperm!!!
rooster
November 27th, 2011
7:50 pm
dawg fan my hole lif, first time i lost set of dentures ata game. eaten corn up dere n enzone iza bitch!
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:52 pm
Gt94,everything will be alright-geesh
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:55 pm
gt94,wheres Tech playing next week?
Tech86
November 27th, 2011
7:56 pm
1 4 GT, yes a short leash, but we went 7 years with Chan! The sports Admin thing was real, I wanted to take the classes since I had switched from Engineering to Management. Unfortunately, it would have started late 80’s early 90’s, but would have helped. Also, all these fans saying they would not want their son’s to play for Johnson really need to evaluate that, watch all major college FB coaches, if not HC, one of the coaches are chewing their butts for mistakes of assignments, get over it. The kid should take since he’s getting a free education and making contacts that many students will never get. Go Jackets
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
7:56 pm
Beating Tech is like wiping your arse,Do it,but dont brag to anyone.
Coach Turkey Neck
November 27th, 2011
7:57 pm
Show a little more……Have the tech fans not seen the blogs all week long prior to the game? Coach turkey neck took undeserved shots at Georgia fans , walmart workers(by the way the unemployment sucks so any job is a good one sorry coarch johnson not everyone makes millions of dollars running a high school offense) and SEC fans everywhere. When you talk smack and LOSE BIG you will have to eat it. By the way turkey neck the SEC won 3 out of 4 of the head to head match ups against the acc. suck on that joke by coke
tell me again
November 27th, 2011
7:59 pm
You know – I am a Dawg poster – I come over here now and again to see what is going on. I think if you want to talk smack and spew baseless rhetoric about another team, that’s fine as long as you do it on your own board and don’t go to their board to do it. I mean, on your own blog it’s fair game to blow wind and vent. What I hate to see is Dawg fans coming over here and spewing on the Tech board and , of course, vice a versa. That’s just menial and aggravating. If you are going to post on a rivals board you should be civil and realize that they love their team and hate to lose just like you do. Believe me Tech fans, we Dawg fans know what it is like to feel owned by a rival (Florida). It’s something that sticks in your throat…..we are not immune to the feeling. I’d like for the rivalry to be hot but not necessarily so trashy aka the thug, academic slanders, and other slanders that really have nothing to do with the game. Anyway, I know there are posters on both boards that will not act like grown ups and will keep posting trash just to keep their own feelings of inferiority in check. It’s a game – a great game played by young men. We make it into much more than it should be at times. We should be able to go to a game and, win or lose, enjoy ourselves and leave feeling like we had a great time. Tech had a good year, you won some big games. Paul Johnson – well, he will take heat just like Richt does when he cannot win every game – such is the delsional nature of some fans. When Tech plays UGA, records, stats and talent mean very little – it’s always a hard fought and intense game that ususally turns on a dime. You guys had a good run this year and I hope you will represent the state of Georgia well in your bowl game – support your team as they ggo to their bowl. Good luck to you every week except one!
blazer
November 27th, 2011
8:01 pm
IT DOES HURT TO LOSE AGAIN TO THE SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE WEAK SEC EASTWHO DID NOT PLAY ANYONE FROM THE SEC WEST TO WAS WORTH ANYTHING.
GUESS TECH WAS 3RD BEST TEAM THEY PLAYED ALL YEAR, RIGHT? DON’T SAY AUBURN, PLEASE!! WAS AN OTHER ROCK PLACED IN THE OCONEE OVER THERE?
Tech Forever
November 27th, 2011
8:02 pm
Dawg Fan
I have never had a problem with you, but list me four or five reasons to have such disdain for the GT faithful….other than me of course.
macrotech
November 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
Dawg Fan…y’all PROBABLY beat us more than you wipe your arse!!! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
fan of shorter passes
November 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
‘86, Johnson seems to take “talking to” to the extreme. I agree that most all teams “talk” to players for different reasons, but sometimes Johnson seems like he just goes overboard…but that is just my opinion. He is the coach.
If he improves his players that way, that can be good. If the turns off his players, then that is on him. Probably is different with each player.
Al Bundy
November 27th, 2011
8:04 pm
Another disappointing end to the regular season. The Bulldogs are a better team on both sides of the ball. I hate to say it but GT football is a very long way from being a top 25 team. We have no passing game on offense and we haven’t had a passing game in 4 years. I’m sure Tevin Washington is a fine young man but as we say in the south, Bless his heart! On defense we have zero pass rush. Our defensive front can’t get to the quarterback to save their lives. If I was a coach preparing to play GT in a bowl game I wouldn’t even think about running the ball. I’d pass on every play because the quarterback has all day to throw. To all these people who keep saying wait until next year, please tell me exactly how many years does it take. I’ve been hearing wait until next year for the last 3 years.
GT 94
November 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
@ tell me again…classy post! DAWGFAN is a complete idiot. He spends more time on GT blogs than he does with his family.
ME Jacket
November 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
Tim Tebow just helped Denver win another game. In spite of the criticism and debate over his “form”, Tim’s character, values, drive, and faith are outstripping common wisdom.
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
8:06 pm
My smoke break is over,but Damn its good to beat Tech.
CarolinaJacket
November 27th, 2011
8:07 pm
And you, sir, are the kind of fan that UGA or Tech, or any other school should be proud of. Although I have been most critical of some UGA fans (and some Tech fans), I very much appreciate and respect those who love their schools, but don’t have to do it from the gutter.
GT 94
November 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
DAWGFAN= The guy who had his lunch stolen every day as a kid! Way to restore confidence on the GT blog dawgfan! You are an ELITE TROLL!
Buzz Belle
November 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
I agree Carolina Jacket! I used to cheer for UGa when they didn’t play Tech but that stopped after it got embarrassing because of their fans! I was at the Sugar Bowl when UGa beat Notre Dame. (I think 1980) Back then, the nuns still wore habits and the chant after the game in the French Quarters was “Hail Mary, full of Grace, Notre Dame’s in second place”. It was fun but something happened to the fan base in the last couple of decades. Even outsiders who don’t care about Tech or UGa see it. It seems their whole existence rest solely on their football team and they forgot what a good old fashioned game was about, or the fact it is a GAME. I love my Jackets, will die a Jacket fan and am proud of what Tech does in the field of academia, not just on the field. Hate the UGa fan base is so, well, baseless.
Tech Forever
November 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
Tech 86
The problem at Tech academically is not the majo courses of study. I think Tech has a done a good job of expanding the curriculum over the last few years to add some valued non-engineering/science majors. The issue is the CORE curriculum. when you require liberal arts and management majors to take the same science and math heavy cores the engineering department requires you’re going to lose A TON of kids. You can get essentially the same management degree from UGA while taking a 75% less difficult core curriculum. And why does Tech do this? Pure arrogance. There is no reason, NONE, why a kid getting a BBA should be taking one calc much less two and/or survey along with chem, physics, and whatever other pointless course (when measuring against the needs of the BBA). THAT is what these kids hear about from other coaches….all the tutor and lab time the first two years are filled with. UGA literally tells kids “you can get the same degree with the same resultsand quality without ever stepping into a calc, trig, or survey classroom” and the fact is…..it’s true.
Mh
November 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
Listen Techies no one wants to play for you or in the ACC. The ACC doesn’t compete for Championships so you will never get the players we get. Wake up and stop dreaming about recruiting better players because it will not happen as a whole.
Dawg Fan
November 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
GT94, its me not you. Quit stalking me