B-backs still unsettled for Georgia Tech

1. Georgia Tech’s picture at B-back is cloudy with a chance of clearing in coming days.

Following the Yellow Jackets’ Monday practice, coach Paul Johnson said that coaches will determine the pecking order at B-back Wednesday or Thursday. The Aug. 21 depth chart lists, in order, David Sims, Zach Laskey and Charles Perkins, though Broderick Snoddy has made a strong bid for playing time.

“There’s probably two or three guys, and we’ll probably play by situation, which we’ll see,” Johnson said.

Sims’ health is a complication. He underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his shin in the summer and was held out of several practices.

“David, I don’t know that he’s 100 percent, so we’ll see how that goes as he gets closer,” Johnson said.

Laskey, who missed practice last week with strep throat, returned for the Friday scrimmage. Laskey passed Perkins on the depth chart after the first full week of camp.

(My guess – and this is a guess – is that Sims starts with Laskey and Snoddy getting in.)

2. With the ACC moving to a nine-game schedule starting in 2013 and Tech’s annual game with Georgia, Johnson acknowledged that “it would be hard” for the Jackets to ever play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome unless they were to play the Bulldogs. With 10 guaranteed games against ACC teams and Georgia, Tech isn’t eager to add games away from Bobby Dodd Stadium or games against BCS conference teams.

“It’s not a big deal to us, because we play here in Atlanta anyway,” Johnson said. “If it worked out, that would have been cool. If it didn’t, to go 500 yards up the road to play is not that big a deal for us.”

Said Johnson of this year’s games, N.C. State-Tennessee on Friday and Clemson-Auburn on Saturday, “Hopefully, N.C. State and Clemson will play well. I think they will.”

(Johnson is saving his bold predictions for later on in the season.)

3. Johnson graded Monday’s full-pads practice “just O.K. It wasn’t real up-tempo like you’d hope to see.” The team had Saturday and Sunday off after a scrimmage against the scout teams on Friday. Johnson wasn’t particularly high on that session, either.

“I think there was some decent things at times,” he said. “The competition level wasn’t as good as I would have liked, especially early on.”

Johnson has not ruled out any players to injury, though he said he probably wouldn’t do that until Thursday or Friday anyway. Safety Fred Holton did not practice again with an undisclosed injury. Regarding his chances of playing Monday, Johnson said, “He’s not out there yet, but we’ll see.”

(Holton should play, though he probably needs to get on the practice field by Wednesday, likely the last padded practice.)

4. The competition between defensive ends Euclid Cummings and Emmanuel Dieke will probably play out into the season, Johnson said. Both will likely play in a rotation with end Izaan Cross.

“It’s just kind of the question of who goes out there first and whoever’s playing the best will probably get the most snaps,” Johnson said.

In case you missed it…

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Ready or not, Jabari Hunt-Days to start vs. Hokies

Quayshawn Nealy buying in to Tech defense

Jeremy Moore’s opportunity arrives

Orwin Smith setting bar high

Days to play ’somewhere’ for Tech

David Scully wins kicking job

Thanks for reading.

Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog

Thanks for reading. Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog