Breaking down Tech o-line
Greetings
A few spring practice notes, from an interview with offensive line coach Mike Sewak:
1. I’ve noted this before, but injuries have been a negative/positive this spring. Having Omoregie Uzzi and Will Jackson out has given players like Nick McRae and J.C. Lanier more reps than they would have gotten otherwise, but it has also forced coach Mike Sewak to shuffle players more than he probably would like.
Injuries to Lanier and Shaquille Mason in Saturday’s scrimmage left the line with seven of the 12 scholarship offensive linemen in the scrimmage.
2. Tackle Morgan Bailey, until an injury last week, was shaping up as one of the most improved players on the team. Bailey, a rising redshirt sophomore, has plus athletic ability but has had injury challenges since he arrived at Tech. He was putting things together this spring. Not sure if he’ll be able to come back this week.
“He seems to be enjoying the playing time and seems to be enjoying the camaraderie and seems to be enjoying the leadership role he’s taking in that meeting room now, because I can point to him and say, ‘That’s how it’s supposed to be done,’” Sewak said.
3. Bailey’s health could be a crucial factor this fall. Sewak wants three dependable players at that position; you’ll remember there was a three-tackle rotation last season. Tech has two returning starters in Ray Beno and Tyler Kidney, but after that are rising redshirt freshmen Bryan Chamberlain and Errin Joe, who haven’t made the progress Sewak was hoping for this spring. The loss of Phil Smith was not insignificant, obviously.
4. Guard is the most secure position as spring ends, with returning starters Uzzi and Jackson and rising sophomore Mason, who ended the season splitting snaps with Jackson and acquitting himself well. Trey Braun is coming on.
5. The project to make Catlin Alford a center continues. There were more center-quarterback exchange snafus on Saturday, although it’s hard to pin on one player or position. To a degree, it’s a function of different players at both positions rotating in and out.
McRae, you may remember, was the backup last season at center and started against Clemson in place of Jay Finch.
“I’d like to see [McRae] continue to develop there, too, but Catlin Alford is too good of an athlete not to be playing,” Sewak said.
Sewak wants a little more from Finch.
“I’ve been pleased with his effort at times,” he said. “Obviously, his off-the-field willingness to put the extra time, to understand it, I think has benefited him.”
6. The Tech defense is working on some different things, which has been a benefit to the offense when th e units have gone against each other.
“We are getting a bunch of twists and blitzes, which helps us,” Sewak said. “We are getting some even front (4-4), which helps us, too, because we see a lot of even front in the fall.”
Notably, Virginia Tech is one of the teams that typically plays an even front against Tech.
In case you missed it, a couple stories I wrote for the weekend, one on Tech’s internship program for its athletes and the notebook from Saturday’s scrimmage. Both are longer than the print version. Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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616 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
April 16th, 2012
11:15 pm
From a post on the 1st page: “Like how Ken reports as opposed to Chip at UGA, Chip is fine but he gets to overly enthusiastic.”
The difference is that Ken is not a fan, he is a reporter/journalist. That is directly from Ken to a group of us before the Va. Tech game last year.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:17 pm
“Georgias problems with Fla. started in the 90’s”
Actually, it didn’t. UGA went 22-5-1 vs UF up until 1949. Since then they are 26-35-1 with UF having a winning record in 4 of the 6 decades (all but 70’s and 80’s).
GT’s continuing problems competing against UGA really started in 1964.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:21 pm
Ghost – I think one more year should tell us whether the Groh 3-4 experience is a success or not.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:22 pm
Paul, Tech may have shut down an offensively terrible UVA team in 2006 while Tenuta was at Tech, but we were favored in both 2005 and 2007 and lost both of them. In 2007, Tenuta’s defense gave up THREE 1st quarter TD’s. The offense sputtered throughout the game but finally took the lead in the 4th quarter, only to see Tenuta’s defense totally collapse again and lose the game. If I am not mistaken that was the game where the Jackets got suckered by the so-called “hook and ladder” play In 2005, the Tech offense played great, and Tenuta’s defense still managed to lose the game. Tech was 2-4 against UVA while Tenuta was at Tech. INEXCUSABLE !!!!
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:23 pm
Delbert,
I think that Ken does an excellent job – and he is a reporter, not a fan. Towers doesn’t bother me. Carvell is another story – a couple of times I have followed his blog and seen postings (with no profanity or abuse in them) disappear.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:24 pm
@ Delbert…..good post. I was there that day when we met Ken. SUPER nice young man. BTW, did you get my email? Are you going Friday night?
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:25 pm
Supersize
The 2007 UVA game was horrible – I agree with you on that one.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:25 pm
Sorry guys…there’s no way you can tell me a coach like CAG, with decades of coaching experience in the 3-4 and as a HC in college and in the NFL…is inadequate as the DC for our team.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:26 pm
@ Paul…..Carvell also managed to slip in a slam against Tech in one of his supposedly objective columns (HA!!!). He made reference to the annual beat-down of Tech by Duke in basketball. I guarantee you he’s never referred to the annual beat-down of UGA by KY in basketball.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:28 pm
Super…Carvell sounded awfully homerish in the Cinesport interview about uGA recruiting.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:29 pm
People forget that Groh was coach at UVA when they stymied Tenuta’s defense on an almost annual basis. He may be a little past his prime, but I still have faith in him; he just needs better material, and I THINK he’s getting that now. Unfortunately, the kids Tech signed this year probably will be red-shirted, and we may never get to see what Groh can do with them, unless the D really turns it up this year.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:30 pm
FLJ, I wasn’t aware of that interview, but what you said doesn’t surprise me in the least
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:31 pm
Paul…Real or Bayern?
Delbert D.
April 16th, 2012
11:32 pm
Paul – I like to read Chip’s stuff. He gets guest phone appearances on 680thefan, but that’s Georgia’s Atlanta station. Doesn’t matter to me; I listen to Buck Belue and John Kincaid’s show when I’m in the truck, and Matt Chernoff and Chuck Oliver’s, as well on that station.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:32 pm
Supersize – I waw that one – when he was blogging about why Tony Parker should go to UGA. I found the ignorance in the entire thread about Parker breathtaking. Recruiting and development of basketball big men is so far different from football players it is untrue but you’d think it was the same thing if you read Carvell and the posts on his blog. NBA big men aren’t developed by coaches like Mark Fox (or John Calipari for that matter). The average college experience of 2012 NBA All-Stars 6′9″ and above is 1 year!
Delbert D.
April 16th, 2012
11:33 pm
Super – I’ll go check the email.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:34 pm
FLJ,
Unfortunately Real. I think you already know my opinion on Barca Chelsea
gt40pinhd
April 16th, 2012
11:34 pm
i hate to admit this, but does anyone know when the spring game is going to be? or was it last weekend? don’t get much news here on the left coast…
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:35 pm
Robert Carter is every bit as good as Tony Parker…yet Parker gets 10X the press because he is undecided and is considering UGA
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:35 pm
Delbert,
As I said – I think Chip is OK. I think Carvell is a biased hack though.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:35 pm
Yeah I think Barca will kill the Blues too…
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:35 pm
Matt Chernoff is a complete idiot. I can’t listen to him for more than ten consecutive seconds.
I think one of the biggest challenges of covering a college team is that many of the subjects are college students, and I think there’s something unseemly about writing pieces that are overly critical of unpaid players. I think Ken does a nice job of managing that balance between providing the facts and not hammering the players.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:37 pm
FLJ,
I caught a couple of Parker’s games on the ESPN family and, although he is big, strong and has good hands, he didn’t seem to be as active as I expected. Haven’t seen Carter.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:38 pm
GS…Chuck and Chernoff are terrible. They can’t even get a 4th hour of airtime over that blowhard Cowherd on ESPN…
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:40 pm
Paul…ranked about the same. Tech’s 2012 class is on par with 2009…Except we have nobody that’s a cant-miss like Derrick Favors.
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:40 pm
Oliver doesn’t bother me because I think the obnoxiousness is his shtick. But Chernoff offers no value and has the analytical capabilities of a squirrel.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:41 pm
Don’t get me going about Cowherd – I really can’t stand that guy.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:42 pm
All the times I listen to that show all I remember is…
GET A LITTLE RHONDA IN YOUR LIFE!!
GT fan
April 16th, 2012
11:42 pm
Ghost,
D Thomas was wide open, couple steps behind the UGA defender and would’ve widened the gap had a QB with a strong enough been throwing the ball.
U are unable to see that b/c U are only willing to accept the outcome of the play … an INT which appeared to be double coverage b/c …. THE PASS WAS SEVERELY UNDERTHROWN.
Shaw did the same thing in the 2008 FSU game (when he came in to spell an injured J Nes). With GT holding comfortable lead, UNDERTHROWING a wide open D Thomas who had gotten behind the D only to have noodle-arm throwing the pass …. the end result it appeared as if the DB was in good coverage, just like UGA’s in 2010.
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:43 pm
FLJ,
Unfortunately that 2009 class at GT did not live up to the hype.
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
Outside of Van Pelt, ESPN sucks. Period.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
Cowherd is purposefully oblivious to the gray areas in sports…and thinks it makes himself sound edgy. He’s Jim Rome without the clones…
Paul in NH
April 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
I am out of here guys – night all.
1 4 GT
April 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
gt40pinhd–the T-night game is this Friday @ 1945 hrs EDT (7:45) the 20th. You are 100% correct George. Ken is a good sports journalist & is exactly what a good reporter should do–stay objective.
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:45 pm
If I have to hear Chernoff tell me how many RBI a player has as proof of his performance, I’m going to cap myself.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:46 pm
@ gt40pinhd…….the Tech spring game is this Friday night at 7:45
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:46 pm
See ya Paul…poor guy has to watch Liverpool probably pull off the Cup double this year!
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:47 pm
gt40pinhd, you probably get more info about Tech on the left coast than I even get here in Augusta, and I’m only 2 hours from Atlanta. The Tech coverage in Augusta is virtually NILL.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:48 pm
Super…is it going to be on ESPNU or something?
Supersize that order, mutt
April 16th, 2012
11:50 pm
FLJ, I wouldn’t think so. I don’t know of any other spring games being telecast. It MIGHT be on the radio though, and you should be able to get that online at http://www.790thezone.com
GT fan
April 16th, 2012
11:50 pm
Stein,
I have a saying for narcissists like Chernoff …… “He’s the smartest person he knows” and I think his partner has the same mentality unfortunately.
ATL is a top 10 radio market, and the sports talk in this town is tantamount to Scab MLB’ers … just not good enough for the big leagues unless they are the “only game in town”.
WSB made a HUGE mistake by just letting 680 go, and dropping a Sports only station. They have the $$ to staff & properly run a Top 10 market station.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:53 pm
Super…at least I know Wes and Rick are behind the program!
gt40pinhd
April 16th, 2012
11:54 pm
several spring games on espn3, including uga and fla.
GT fan
April 16th, 2012
11:55 pm
Sad thing Stein, I think Chernoff is so much better than Buck Ba’looooo. Guy won the lottery before there ever was a lottery ……… threw a football 30-40 FEET in 1980, and he’s still getting his annuity checks 32 years later.
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:56 pm
I agree, GT fan. All the morning shows are unlistenable. Before I moved closer to my office, I listened to books on my iPod. That way, I can do two books at a time.
At least Oliver knows a little football. Chernoff knows nothing. His only qualification is that he has a mic.
FL Jacket
April 16th, 2012
11:56 pm
GTFan…
I know Kincaid and Laurentino aren’t in Atlanta because they’re the best at what they do…
George Stein
April 16th, 2012
11:58 pm
Belue just isn’t entertaining. I have no real issue with him, though. I must admit, I haven’t heard them in years.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 17th, 2012
12:04 am
Delbert, if you are still here, I got your email and responded. Check it out.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 17th, 2012
12:06 am
gt40pinhd, I wasn’t aware that any spring games had been on ESPN3. I just got word in an email though that the FSU game was on there too. Like I said, I doubt the Tech game will be on, but you never know.
Delbert D.
April 17th, 2012
12:06 am
I listen to Chernoff and Oliver because of Oliver. He’s an Auburn guy, and I kind of follow them because my daughter went there, and they were a Tech rivalry game back in the late ’50s-early ’60s (yes, I ‘m that old). Kincaid is from Philly, and I used to live up there. Most of the folks I worked with up there had that special arrogance; I guess I did, too. When Belue is on solo, as he was for a day last week, he’s unbearable. He had trouble thinking of anything to say. Otherwise, he and polar-opposite Kincaid together are okay for a radio show.