6 Tech spring practice observations
Greetings-
Hope you were able to make the spring game Friday night. It was a strong turnout and it wouldn’t surprise me if the GTAA stays with Friday, or at least re-visits it, in years to come. Some thoughts from spring practice.
1. No change at quarterback spot
It was a much anticipated competition between Synjyn Days and Vad Lee, but it doesn’t appear that much changed in the pecking order. Both improved over the course of the spring and shrunk their flaws, but neither made an unimpeachable case to be the No. 2 behind Tevin Washington, let alone a challenger to the top spot.
“The other guys are both very talented and good at certain things,” coach Paul Johnson said. “As I said, they’ve got to get better at what their weak spots are.”
In this offense, and probably any other, limiting mistakes and turnovers is crucial, no matter what a quarterback’s big-play potential is. That is where Washington’s advantage is, developed over four years in the system, a season and a half of starts and tireless work to hone his game.
After the spring game, Johnson said that if the season started today, Washington would be the starter and saw Lee and Days as situational-type quarterbacks.
“The goal is to make them not situational players and to be able to do the whole thing,” he said.
2. Defense should be better
As with all projections, it’s hard to know for certain until the fall, but tweaks to the scheme and the development of the defensive line should make this unit better. Ends Izaan Cross, Euclid Cummings and Emmanuel Dieke look capable and nose tackle T.J. Barnes may be ready to realize his potential in his final season. Perhaps the biggest question of the summer, literally and figurative, will be how much conditioning work Barnes and backup Shawn Green put in in order to be ready for the season.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” defensive line coach Andy McCollum said. “We’ve got to have a great offseason. We’ve got to have a great summer. T.J. has done some things that we hadn’t done in the past that I’m excited about.”
(Note: You’ve probably heard all of that before. For whatever it’s worth, and I’ve written this before, Al Groh’s defense made a much bigger statistical jump Year 2 to Year 3 at Virginia than Year 1 to Year 2.)
3. The secondary is a strength
This looks like the best unit on the team. Four of the top five players back, with Fred Holton returning from injury. Further, cornerback Jamal Golden made more than his share of plays in the spring. There is the matter that the secondary spent the spring lined up against one of the least experienced units on the team, so it was easier to stand out, but the talent in this group is hard to deny.
“I think those guys are a lot hungrier this year, more physical with our receivers,” Washington said. “They come out and just compete every day, try to make plays on the ball, put the defense in a position where they feel like nobody can come out and thrown on them.”
4. Special teams still wobbly
I would guess that new special-teams coordinator Dave Walkosky will make a difference on the return teams most quickly. Where he’ll earn his money is his development of punter Sean Poole and kicker Justin Moore into consistent performers. As I think I’ve written before (and will probably write again), both have the capability but the juniors have yet to prove themselves as routinely dependable.
Poole has said the team’s goal is to lead the nation in net punting, which would be quite a leap from 54th last season. That said, he’s got the leg to do it. Doing it each punt is the trick. Walk-on Michael McDonald and signee Ryan Rodwell will give him competition.
5. Wide receivers a waiting game
It didn’t appear that any of the four returners – Jeff Greene, Chris Jackson and Jeremy Moore and Darren Waller – made heads turn this spring. Moore probably made the biggest gain, and I think Johnson likes the group, but wants a little more. I’d say that in the same way that it was tough on Stephen Hill in 2010 to feel a burden to replace Demaryius Thomas, and probably unfair, so the same holds for these four.
That said, the signees – Micheal Summers and Travin Henry and possibly Anthony Autry – will get an opportunity to play this fall.
“You’d like to see some guys make plays on some deep balls,” Johnson said, “but you’ve also got to throw ’em inbounds and give ’em a chance to make a play.”
6. A-backs bear watching
This might be the most intriguing bunch on the team. Orwin Smith is a proven commodity and it appears Robert Godhigh will be dependable and there’s a crop of younger players with playmaking ability but not much experience after that. The A-back rotation usually goes three or four deep, so one or two out of B.J. Bostic, Deon Hill and Tony Zenon will have to prove themselves consistent enough to warrant heavy snaps.
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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948 comments Add your comment
Nate dawg
April 23rd, 2012
2:24 pm
Seth Green leaving vt hoops
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
2:28 pm
CJGaTechalumnus…
I think the choir is in perfect harmony that the uniform situation MUST change. Between the lack of a consistent color scheme in our merchandise, the lack of contrast in our color scheme, and the perception that we get NOTHING out of being Russell’s highest profile client…it’s something that must be recitified immediately.
As ugly as the might have been, the mustard jerseys and white helmet throwbacks might have been the most appealing uniform scheme we’ve worn in years. I like a black, or at least an extremely dark blue, as our third color.
smart guy
April 23rd, 2012
2:39 pm
If I had a chance at a first round selection, as BJ does, I would be doing grass drills each and every day this summer, heck, I would crawl the length of the field on all fours everyday, just to practice staying low and to develop my power and stamina! For 10 million bucks, it would be the easiest money I ever made!
1 4 GT
April 23rd, 2012
2:43 pm
Well, I DID read that Massaquoi said that very thing. He wished he had gone to GT after seeing their facilities–after working out with Johnson, Bey Bey & Hill.
Big Crimson 75
April 23rd, 2012
2:51 pm
Amazing how Max Garcia chooses Fla over UGA & all of a sudden — He sucks – He was never gonna start for us — Something strange happened — Fla paid him — typical puppy logic.
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
2:59 pm
BC75…
uGA signed a JC kid (played HS ball in Macon) who’s only other offers were Houston and Memphis.
When uGA signs such a kid…”we’re offering him ealry before the other SEC schools offer him”. When Tech offers such a kid…”Tech can only recruit against Houston and Memphis”.
Nobody re-writes the narrative like dwag fans…
GTfan 2012
April 23rd, 2012
3:05 pm
Dwagfan,
Guy who comes on GT blog with a superiorty complex about his underachieving football team = JOKE!
dawgfan
April 23rd, 2012
3:39 pm
i still suffer from peenus envy
dawgfan
April 23rd, 2012
3:40 pm
and since I kicked WnE to the curb, I’ve got no one to pound me good. That’s why I’m so fired up today
www
April 23rd, 2012
3:47 pm
normally i don’t care enough about uga to post about them here but i found this amusing:
“Expect Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina and Florida to end the 2012 season as the top tier teams in the SEC.”
no mention of uga in the sec’s top 6 teams.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1154321-auburn-football-2012-a-prognostication-of-the-top-tier-of-the-sec-for-2012
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
3:52 pm
re:
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
1:04 pm
That’s about as simplistic (and stupid) scouting report as I’ve ever read, jarvis. Plus, if playing in a pro-style system were the key to early success, please let me know what happened to Kris Durham.
______________
What happened to Kris Durham?
He went from projected non-drafted FA camp invitee to 4th Round draft pick with a very nice signing BONUS!
What type of signing BONUS do you expect Tyler Melton to get after playing for CPJ for 4yrs?
How about Roddy Jones, care to guess if he’ll be 4th round Draft pick?
Brave Hokie
April 23rd, 2012
3:53 pm
Seth Greenberg to take Head Football coaching job @ Arkansas…
book it.
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
3:54 pm
Roddy Jones doesn’t NEED to play football to become a Millionaire and he will not be broke either way.
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
3:55 pm
WnE
EXACTLY How Much did Durham get as a signing bonus?
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
3:57 pm
BRAVE HOKIE
Since SETH is a BASKETBALL Caoch I will bet everything I that that will not happen
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
4:01 pm
Kris Durham……………7/28/2011: Signed a four-year, $2.504 million contract. The deal included a $464,260 signing bonus. 2012: $465,000, 2013: $555,000, 2014: $645,000, 2015: Free Agent
GT Lee
April 23rd, 2012
4:01 pm
Gollum, have you recovered from being “kicked to the curb” by dwagfan? I hear you want him to give up his day job as CMR’s Official Poo Inspector….you jealous he gets to see CMR’s hiney?
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
4:03 pm
“What type of signing BONUS do you expect Tyler Melton to get after playing for CPJ for 4yrs?”
Only someone completely devoid of reality would hold someone accountable for the fact that not everyone of his players are going to get drafted.
HighTech
April 23rd, 2012
4:05 pm
..Arkansas has named John L. Smith as its next football coach.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf–john-l–smith-named-head-coach-at-arkansas.html;_ylt=AmSL08w5nZv8NWGLUdz7lzo5nYcB
GT Lee
April 23rd, 2012
4:05 pm
Gollum, why didn’t you show up Fri? We all wanted to see Precioussssssss. Not only are you a LIAR and a HYPOCRITE, you are a COWARD also!!!!!!!!!!!!! bok bok bok bok bok bok
Brave Hokie
April 23rd, 2012
4:13 pm
Damb I was wrong.
Bobby Cremins to VT ~ gonna get one of these rumors, right.
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
4:14 pm
re:
3. The secondary is a strength
This looks like the best unit on the team. Four of the top five players back, with Fred Holton returning from injury. Further, cornerback Jamal Golden made more than his share of plays in the spring. There is the matter that the secondary spent the spring lined up against one of the least experienced units on the team, so it was easier to stand out, but the talent in this group is hard to deny.
“I think those guys are a lot hungrier this year, more physical with our receivers,” Washington said. “They come out and just compete every day, try to make plays on the ball, put the defense in a position where they feel like nobody can come out and thrown on them.”
___________
I disagree with this issue Ken.
Maybe you should have written that our 2ndary is a strength vs. unsophisticated passing schemes.
Does any GT Fan trust this 2ndary vs. UGA with a 3-wides formation of Chris Conley, Mike Bennett, Marlon Brown with Jay Rome at TE, with Aaron Murray throwing them the ball, and I didn’t even mention upcoming RS-Fr. J. Scott-Wesley or returning LEADING WR Tavarres King (Rs-Sr ?).
The so-called strength that our 2ndary has been showing is based on what they have done vs. inaccurate QBs with average to weak arm-strength while throwing to WRs that don’t use the entire route tree that don’t run good patterns that also don’t have great hands.
When our DBs HAD TO SHUT DOWN passing attacks they failed, and they failed against other YOUNG WRs, so as our DBs get better so will the opposing passing attacks.
In fact if I. Johnson plays too much at safety our 2ndary might be a weakness.
BLT
April 23rd, 2012
4:16 pm
Hey WnE, I thought this was a blog about Georgia Tech Football not NFL signing bonuses. Not every college football player goes to the NFL. I’m sure many want to go to the NFL and work hard towards that goal. You will use anything to trash CPJ. Move on, it’s really old.
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
4:17 pm
WnE
NOBODY care about your opinions anymore.
Bye Bye go play in traffic.
BLT
April 23rd, 2012
4:19 pm
There you go again. Goodness gracious
www
April 23rd, 2012
4:20 pm
wne knows so much about how great uga will be that an impartial observer might even conclude he is actually a uga fan obsessively pretending to be a georgia tech fan for some odd reason, rather than an actual georgia tech fan.
i just want to know when he will crank up the “fire paul johnson” blog again? it’s obviously the same guy.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 23rd, 2012
4:21 pm
Cremins to VT??? I don’t think so
Supersize that order, mutt
April 23rd, 2012
4:22 pm
@ Brave Hokie, apparently you don’t realize that Cremins retired from coaching in March
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
4:23 pm
re:
5150 UOAD
April 23rd, 2012
4:01 pm
Kris Durham……………7/28/2011: Signed a four-year, $2.504 million contract. The deal included a $464,260 signing bonus. 2012: $465,000, 2013: $555,000, 2014: $645,000, 2015: Free Agent
_______________
That’s not a bad payday for a guy that was expected to be buried on the depth chart that took advantage of Green’s 4-game-rip from the NCAA, used it to make himself part of UGA’s permanent WR-rotation, and then went on to have a good Sr. yr, and get drafted when no one ever thought he would get drafted.
Going into his Sr. yr. there was some doubt that Durham would even get a FA camp invite.
Now take Kris Durham and put him at GT playing for CPJ, do you still think he gets that kind of Contract (4th round) that he got above?
That’s the difference between playing in a Pro-Style Off. vs. playing in a triple-OPtion Offense.
BLT
April 23rd, 2012
4:28 pm
“Now take Kris Durham and put him at GT playing for CPJ, do you still think he gets that kind of Contract (4th round) that he got above?”
Was he recruited by CPJ?
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
4:34 pm
re:
2. Defense should be better
As with all projections, it’s hard to know for certain until the fall, but tweaks to the scheme and the development of the defensive line should make this unit better. Ends Izaan Cross, Euclid Cummings and Emmanuel Dieke look capable and nose tackle T.J. Barnes may be ready to realize his potential in his final season. Perhaps the biggest question of the summer, literally and figurative, will be how much conditioning work Barnes and backup Shawn Green put in in order to be ready for the season.
_____________
Once again, I disagree Ken.
Our DL is going against a smaller OL specifically Recruited for Triple-OPtion FB.
In the 2nd half of games vs. BCS level teams going up against 315-340 lbs. OLs, do you think that 270-ish pound Dieke, Cummings, Williams are going to hold up and stop the run?
Will they have enough gas to get after QBs and disrupt some throws?
After 3 years at GT, Izaan Cross has gotten worse (it seems) each season, last yr. Cross started out at 290 or so and wore down noticeably as the season went on.
Cross is a 3-yr. starter but he doesn’t have that it factor that you’re looking for.
GT’s DEs need to be “natural” 295- 305lbs to really play well in a 3-4, Cummings, Dieke, and Williams came out of HS in the 240s and have had to be “puffed up” into being DE size, they don’t play like they can naturally carry that kind of weight effectively.
Once again we’ll find out what kind of DL we have when they go up against some legit 310+lb OLines.
No way
April 23rd, 2012
4:37 pm
WnE – Do you work? Doubt it, but since you make up lotta other stories let me hear a good one about your great work life.
BLT
April 23rd, 2012
4:37 pm
“Cross is a 3-yr. starter but he doesn’t have that it factor that you’re looking for.”
I’m not sure what this means. I’ll leave it alone because I’m scared to ask.
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:38 pm
“What happened to Kris Durham?
He went from projected non-drafted FA camp invitee to 4th Round draft pick with a very nice signing BONUS!
What type of signing BONUS do you expect Tyler Melton to get after playing for CPJ for 4yrs?
How about Roddy Jones, care to guess if he’ll be 4th round Draft pick?”
Let’s see what we got here. Played in a pro set? Check. 4.4 40? Check. 6′5 215? Check. If WnE were to be believed, he should have been a first round pick. Only in his world is something that runs totally against everything he said a confirmation of it.
Again, heavy on trolling, light on analysis.
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:39 pm
As for Roddy Jones, I know if I were a UGA fan, I’d keep my mouth shut about RBs in the NFL.
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:40 pm
“Cross is a 3-yr. starter but he doesn’t have that it factor that you’re looking for.”
Perhaps you can elaborate on what this made-up “it” factor is. We’re all interested.
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:46 pm
“The so-called strength that our 2ndary has been showing is based on what they have done vs. inaccurate QBs with average to weak arm-strength while throwing to WRs that don’t use the entire route tree that don’t run good patterns that also don’t have great hands.”
Using terms like route tree doesn’t make anyone think you know jack about what you’re talking about, WnE. I bet if you didn’t have Google handy, you couldn’t even tell me what the route tree is.
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
4:47 pm
GS…
Apparently I must have hibernated for the last 6 months because apparently Stephen Hill was a 1st round NFL talent this whole time and apparently all that trolling about how CPJ can’t coach WRs must have been a joke!
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:48 pm
The best part, FLJ, is that he said Hill wouldn’t even see the field at UGA. Now he’s saying Hill is a superstar. I can’t keep up anymore.
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
GS…maybe if WnE would actually take the time to look it up he would notice that Louis Young, Rod Sweeting, and Fred Holton were all ELITE RECRUITS…
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
re:
No way
April 23rd, 2012
4:37 pm
WnE – Do you work? Doubt it, but since you make up lotta other stories let me hear a good one about your great work life.
______________
I put forth opinions about CFB!
I don’t have to explain my self to you or justify anything I do to you.
Typical GT fan, on a CFB Blog where the topics are focused on CFB, whenever you can’t impeach someone’s logic or “win the debate”, you then resort to changing the subject to other things.
I talk FB and that is all I talk about on a CFB themed blog.
Don’t like it, too bad putz!
GTfan 2012
April 23rd, 2012
4:51 pm
WnE is again clueless about our DL. Now, if you want to make a comment about our DL in the 3-4, then PERHAPS you can say they are undersized for 3-4 DLs. BUT in no way can you back up the statements that WnE is making about the ABSOLUTE size of our DLs. Our 2-deep DLs are ALL bigger than there corresponding 2-deep at VT. Our NT is bigger than their NT/DT, Our DEs are bigger than their DEs (both starters and backups). Now, I realize that they are being asked to do different things in GT’s 3-4 vs. VT’s 4-3, so they should be bigger. BUT that’s not what WnE said.
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
4:51 pm
re:
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:48 pm
The best part, FLJ, is that he said Hill wouldn’t even see the field at UGA. Now he’s saying Hill is a superstar. I can’t keep up anymore.
____________
You are a liar Mr. Stein.
I never said that.
I did say that after losing out on Hill, UGA went on to Recruit WRs like Chris Conley, Malcolm Mitchell, and Michael Bennett that showed more as FRESHMEN than did Hill.
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:54 pm
“Don’t like it, too bad putz!”
- An individual that lectures others about name-calling every chance he gets.
FL Jacket
April 23rd, 2012
4:56 pm
“I did say that after losing out on Hill, UGA went on to Recruit WRs like Chris Conley, Malcolm Mitchell, and Michael Bennett ”
WnE…
I thought CPJ does not get any ELITE RECRUITS…now I am confused too
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:56 pm
“WnE
December 14th, 2011
2:18 pm
Before you GT fan get too happy with our “steal” of a recruit from Bama, remember that we also stole 4* Recruit Stephen Hill from uga,and then they proceeded to recruit tons of WRs that have proven to be better than S. Hill, if Hill had gone to UGa he’d be the 8th option at WR for them.”
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:57 pm
I’m anxiously awaiting your apology, WnE.
WnE
April 23rd, 2012
5:02 pm
re:
George Stein
April 23rd, 2012
4:54 pm
“Don’t like it, too bad putz!”
- An individual that lectures others about name-calling every chance he gets.
____________
I stopped name-calling a while ago, but it seems as if others have ignored Ken, so I relapsed into my old self.
I still do less name-calling and less disgusting posts than do the other folks that you call fellow GT fans.
Dawg48
April 23rd, 2012
5:03 pm
What’s up guys?
909
April 23rd, 2012
5:03 pm
Ken:
It stains your stellar work when you have UGA-homer & super-doosh
Doug Roberson co-writing stuff for you.
We know he’s a doosh.
Dont let a doosh ruin your stellar reporting.