Tech’s T.J. Barnes kicking it into gear
Of all the testimonials given to Georgia Tech nose tackle T.J. Barnes’ improvement, perhaps none carries more credence than one from a teammate who has spent much of the past two weeks colliding with him.
“T.J., he used to not be much of a threat to rush the passer,” guard Will Jackson said, “but now he’s getting back there and he’s a lot quicker and a lot more explosive off the ball.”
The wait for Barnes, blessed with an easy laugh, quiet personality and immense size, to measure up to his potential may be over. This much is certain – now heading into his senior season, he can’t wait much longer.
“I think he realizes right now he’s got 12 games he’s guaranteed to play,” strength and conditioning coach John Sisk said.
The hoopla over Barnes began soon after his arrival from Enterprise, Ala. He was a terror on the scout team in his redshirt season. It led coaches and fans to imagine what he could do against actual opponents.
“He’s got the ability to one day be a great player,” former defensive line coach Giff Smith said during Tech’s 2009 spring practice, Barnes’ first. “How quick he gets there will be determined by how hard he continues to work.”
The fervor grew when coach Paul Johnson hired Al Groh as his defensive coordinator following the 2009 season. Barnes, 6-foot-7 with weight that hovered around 340 pounds, seemed an ideal fit to be an anchoring nose tackle in Groh’s 3-4 defense. However, in his first three seasons, Barnes’ most estimable opponents were not Georgia or Virginia Tech, but his stamina and weight. He missed only one game in his first three seasons, but made the starting lineup only three times.
Logan Walls has graduated and Barnes’ backup, Shawn Green, is promising, but has only played four games. Tech, it appears, has no choice but to start Barnes, who has in turn shown teammates and coaches that he is ready to accept the challenge.
“T.J. wants to do very well,” Groh said. “He’s got a very strong want-to.”
In the summer, following the team’s morning strength and conditioning workouts, Barnes voluntarily returned in the afternoon three to four times a week for extra training with Sisk. Barnes used the time for stretching, elliptical machine, core-strength work and kettle-bell exercises. When the team had a week off at the end of the summer term before the start of fall camp, Barnes did two more workouts on his own.
Said Sisk, “I think he took ownership of his work ethic this summer.”
Teammates noticed his work in the morning workouts. Just before the start of fall camp, inside linebacker Quayshawn Nealy gave Barnes credit for his conditioning work, for managing his weight and for keeping up with smaller teammates in speed drills.
Barnes “kicked it into gear,” Nealy said. “I can’t honestly say what made him kick it into gear, but I’m just glad that he did.”
Asked that question, Barnes pointed at a finger at Nealy and other teammates.
“You’re just looking to your left and to your right and behind you,” Barnes said. “You’re fighting for those guys.”
Another is Julian Burnett, whose neck injury in the Sun Bowl ended his career.
“You don’t want to let them down, especially since we lost ‘Rambo,’” Barnes said. “He’s still counting on us. Being a senior, you have to be able to push through.”
A superior season from Barnes could shape Tech’s route to an ACC championship as perhaps any player. As a nose tackle, Barnes’ responsibility is to stalemate centers and guards and disrupt offenses. Groh has described the position as being “the pillar or the rock in the middle.”
“There’s nothing better than having somebody who can just stuff the middle every time,” defensive end Izaan Cross said. “Just eliminating that from the game plan is awesome.”
At last check, Barnes’ weight was a manageable 342 pounds and his summer labors appeared to have had the desired effect on his endurance and flexibility. Tech will start the season Sept. 3 against Virginia Tech.
Will Jackson can hardly wait.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech notes
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326 comments Add your comment
dawghater1
August 19th, 2012
2:01 pm
mock, you are talking crazy, wrong and wrong
Hayseed Dixie
August 19th, 2012
2:02 pm
Anyone who mentions the Orange Bowl and didn’t mention anything other than Adrian Clayborn didn’t watch the game. That guy single-handedly blew up our o-line. Tom Brady would’ve had a tough time out there.
I know a lot of you mouth-breathers who’ve never played a down in your life think its as simple as the QB passing it to the right guy. It’s not. The o-line’s gotta block. This ain’t backyard football.
Hopefully TJ Barnes will abuse some o-lines like he did for Clemson. It’s always a good sign when a kid shows up big-time for a big time game.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:02 pm
Don’t get me wrong……I am NOT defending TW and claiming that he is Tech’s future. BUT, he is not the only reason the O didn’t produce last year. And there really is not much he can do when the O-line isn’t blocking, and the B-backs aren’t getting yards. He doesn’t carry the ball every time it is snapped, and his EXECUTION of the TO was good; it’s just the handoffs didn’t result in much yardage when it was needed.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:03 pm
@ Hayseed Dixie…….EXACTLY !!!! Thanks for posting that
dawghater1
August 19th, 2012
2:03 pm
the only stat that counts there is scoring offense and scoring defense, i want tell you where we ranked in either, look it up and dont wet yourself when you find it
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:07 pm
TW is the qb. HE runs the offense. Not orwin Not Sims Not any o lineman and not any wide receiver. I saw on many occasions where tevin too many times made the wrong decision on the TO. And that led to a blown big play or first down and sometimes a fumble. And the passing at the end of last year was god awful. Which tells me against crap opponents, he looks great. Against a top 25 team, he is below average and can’t perform. 2 straight years losses to vt miami and uga. I won’t be shocked when it happens again. Maybe this year they beat miami but of course lose to clemson so again, against any top 25 team, it’s another round of losses.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:09 pm
Hayseed
And good coaches have a gameplan for that. PJ didn’t and still doesn’t.
And it cracks me up that super would agree when he said one player doesn’t make or break a game or how you can’t blame or priaise one player. Talk about contradicting urself.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:11 pm
He doesn’t carry the ball every time it is snapped- he damn near did last year
, and his EXECUTION of the TO was good–wow are you kidding me? he missed so many reads last season even late in the season. he even admitted it over and over. Go watch ricky dobbs at navy a couple years ago to see how it’s suppose to be run.
dawghater1
August 19th, 2012
2:11 pm
cpj’s history is in div-2, he thinks bowl games are stupid and have no value other than extra practice time, with that being said as stubborn as he appears, he has changed hie mind on some things, i belive he wanted to win the bowl game last year, time clock management cost us that game and that falls squarely on cpj, he is a very good footaball coach and he will fix things given time, ie special teams, and now i belive he knows he has to have a solid defense to play and win in at the bcs level, and that he must be able to effectively throw the ball, however, i dont care how good you can throw – you must be able to run the option and tw does that well.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:17 pm
Second half against maryland last year is another prime example. That was ugly. And it was the d that saved that game. Certainly not the offense.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:18 pm
He beat a top 25 Clemson team last year, whether they deserved it or not. He should not in any way be held responsible for the VT loss in 2010, since he only played half the game. And I, nor anybody else, did not say a single player cannot make or break a game. But it is not always the QB who wins or loses games, and that is what you have been claiming.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:19 pm
Well when you keep losing dawg, that’s exactly the bs response i would expect. They don’t matter. That’s bs
Especially since that’s the last impression a recruit has on a program leading into NSD.
You think air force has the same caliber player running the to that we do? Of course not. Yet they beat gt. That’s embarassing
Yeller Bug
August 19th, 2012
2:22 pm
Mock 1: I don’t think anyone is making excuses. There are 50 teams each year that fantasize about winning the NC—maybe there are 10 teams who have a legitimate shot. Miami and FSU had powerhouses in the 80’s and 90’s and they haven’t done much since. We had an AD (Braine) who thought it unrealistic that Tech could win 10 games a year—glad he’s gone, but consistently winning 10 games a year is tough. I think Tech is on the right track. Our “high school” offense gives opposing DCs sleepless nights. If we find a good passing QB, then we can open up the playbook and truly have a run-and-shoot Offense. TW may have a good year this year so give him a chance. We’ll know a lot about this team by the end of Sept.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:22 pm
He had the lead in the vt game that year. He could do nothing in that game. Being his first start, I don’t entirely lay that game on him. I blame pj for not having him in more games to get more experience.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:23 pm
So you’re going to blame the AF loss to TW too??? You do realize, don’t you, that Laskey fumbled and lost 2 punts. But that was TW’s fault because he is the team leader, huh?
juvenal
August 19th, 2012
2:23 pm
we can’t blame #96 any more if the D stinks,,,
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:23 pm
And again, you brag about beating clemson who gave up 70 to wv. Good grief!!!!
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:24 pm
So now you expect CPJ to rotate QB’s? How many teams in the country rotate QB’s? UGA sure doesn’t
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:25 pm
Where in my af post did i say i blamed him entirely? Stop putting words in my mouth moron. I said it was embarassing that a gt TEAM would lose to air force cause gt obviosuly recruits much better players than air force to run the offense.
1 4 GT
August 19th, 2012
2:25 pm
Well said yeller bug. PULLEZE ignore mock-10 and let rant. Don’t wrestle a pig is his wallow. The pig enjoys it.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:25 pm
At the time Tech played Clemson, Clemson was in the top 25, whether they deserved it or not. You said TW has never beat a ranked team.
dawghater1
August 19th, 2012
2:25 pm
the first time i ever saw tevin play (spring of 2007 ) i thought this kid will never see the field, he came in against vt in 2010, and was one pass away from winning that game, in 2011 he won 8 games his firsr year as a starter in a bcs conference, beat the number 3 team in the nation, he is not the best qb we have ever had , however he has improved vastly under cpj, i think he will be even better this year, will he be great no i dont think so , will we win more games, we will if the defense shows up.
GT fan
August 19th, 2012
2:26 pm
You all leave little Mock 1 alone ……. He showed a few days ago how stupid he is when he said, and I quote, “every int is the QB’s fault because he’s the one who threw the pass”.
I kid you not folks, that idiot actually said that!
The he came back at me with more of his “brilliance”, this time with a baseball analogy:
“when a batter gets hit by a pitch it’s the pitcher’s fault” …. again guys mental midget Mock 1 actually believes stuff like this!
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:26 pm
You put the words in your own mouth by already having said that the QB is the team leader and (at the very least implying) that the QB is therefore responsible for all losses.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:27 pm
Never said rotate. When a game is lost, as was the case many times in 2010, put him in to get some snaps.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:27 pm
@ GT fan……I was here when he posted the first of those two remarks. I guess I missed the second one. He is a piece of work, isn’t he?
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:28 pm
The qb is the team leader. I thought everyone knew that. You didn’t click on the football for dummies link i sent you?
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:28 pm
I think the obvious conclusion here is that the public school systems are still failing.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
I suggest you look at the 2010 results. Prior to the VT game, when he HAD to come in, there was only one game that was clearly lost long before it was over, and that was the NC State game. Why would you put your second stringer into a game that was still close enough to win? That’s just stupid.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
George……He comes across dumber and dumber in every post.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:31 pm
Know what i said was that unless the wide receiver doesn’t catch a pass that he should have, then every int is the qbs fault. So tell me, who’s at fault if not the qb? I can’t wait to hear ur response.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:32 pm
No, not know
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:33 pm
Well, how about when a really good defensive back is able to get between the receiver and the ball after the ball is in the air?
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
Ok super GFY.
You are a typical tech loser. Make excuses and never accept responsibility. 1 win against uga since 2000. Yep that’s some good football. Not to forget the fact ur on probation. LOL
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
Indeed, Supersize.
Receivers have run wrong routes before, Mock 1
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
QBs have been hit as they throw before.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:35 pm
Refs have made wrong calls on balls before
GT fan
August 19th, 2012
2:35 pm
Super … it was Daneil McKayan, not Laskey, that fumbled the 2 punts vs. Air Force. Laskey was a Freshman last season.
TW didn’t help in the bowl game though …. he fumbled at the AF 3-yd line on the opening drive of the 3rd qtr. GT got the ball to start the 3rd, and had an 8+minute drive going. It was 3rd & 1 at the AF 5yd line, and TW faked the to the BBack, and dove over for 2 yds, but fumbled. That was one of three 3rd qtr fumbles by the good guys.
GT’s D played fantastic that game. It was those 3 fumbles that lost the game. Just like the 3 fumbles in the UGA game too … none by TW, Mock 1 idiot..
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
In general, a QB is responsible for interceptions, but you can’t scout a box score.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
And I said that george–that a receiver can be at fault but the qb takes the blame most of the time. Yet some idiots on here don’t think so. Can’t say I am shocked considering how ignorant many techsters are in football.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
Even if the ball is on the money, and the receiver almost always catches those passes, it is still possible for a good defensive back to get in there and either break it up or intercept it. Sure, you might say that the receiver SHOULD have caught it, but he was prevented from doing it, and certainly not by the QB who threw it.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:37 pm
Not “scouting” anything. Basing it on what my eyeballs see 3 days a week from Sept-Jan.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:38 pm
The lesson here is that you don’t judge a player – be it a QB in football, pitcher in baseball, goalie in hockey, or any other team sport – by the record of his or her team.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
2:39 pm
it’s STILL the qb’s fault. He threw the ball! Do you not believe at all in personal responsibility?????
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:39 pm
@ George……But Mock 1 sure does
GT fan
August 19th, 2012
2:40 pm
Stein …
Really, Mock 1 posted the other day “every int is the QB’s fault b/c he’s the one that threw the pass”
And yes, he’s seems to be getting dumber & dumber with every post.
He’s probably and AJ Suggs lover
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
2:40 pm
How in the hell is the QB responsible for the receiver getting outplayed and out-hussled by the defender?
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
2:40 pm
What point are you trying to make, Mock 1?
dawghater1
August 19th, 2012
2:41 pm
BEWARE MOCK 1 IS A DAWG FAN!!!
1 4 GT
August 19th, 2012
2:41 pm
Mock 1—-here is a link for the 2010 VT game to disprove your claim that TW loses games sportsillistrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/gameflash/2010/11/04/43122_recap.html