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Georgia Tech

Audition begins for interim Charles Kelly

5:16 pm October 9, 2012, by Ken Sugiura

When I talked to Georgia Tech interim defensive coordinator Charles Kelly in June for the “10 things” series (at that point he was still secondary coach), I asked him about his coaching aspirations. He said, not surprisingly, that he someday wanted to be a head coach.

However, moving up the ladder wasn’t something he dwelt on.

“I believe this,” he said. “I believe if you do as good a job at the job you have, people recognize it.”

For better or worse, in the wake of the firing of defensive coordinator Al Groh, Kelly has been recognizedt The timing or circumstances aren’t great, but Kelly, the lone assistant still on staff who preceded coach Paul Johnson, has his opportunity to show what he can do as the Jackets’ interim replacement for Groh.

“It’s a chance to move forward and see how we can do,” Johnson said Monday, in response to a question about if the final six games of the regular season are an audition for defensive coaches. “I think that we can play better than we’ve played. So we’ll see.”

If Kelly can produce results, you’d have to think he’ll be considered as the full-time replacement. Keeping him as coordinator would provide stability and give Johnson the security of a known commodity in the hire. Further, Kelly is known as an excellent recruiter. It’s a long list, but defensive back Jemea Thomas and A-back Orwin Smith are two players Kelly has helped bring to campus.

Finding bright spots on the defense this season isn’t easy, but the secondary has been one of the team’s better units over the past few seasons. Cornerbacks Rod Sweeting, Louis Young and Thomas were among the top players on the defense last season.

At Tech, he’s had a hand in getting Mario Butler, Jahi Word-Daniels and Jerrard Tarrant into NFL camps. (Butler made the Dallas Cowboys practice squad as an unsigned free agent and then made the active roster last December. He played in one game this season and is now back on the practice squad.)

Tech was second in the ACC in pass defense last season at 197.6 yards per game, although the Jackets were seventh in defensive pass efficiency. (I recognize that pass defense isn’t solely the responsibility of the secondary, and sussing out where the pass rush’s impact ends and the secondary’s coverage ability begins is not a black and white matter.)

Tech had one interception for every 27.5 passes last year – the secondary had 10 of the 14 interceptions – which was fourth in the ACC.

Prior to coming to Tech, he was at Nicholls State, an FCS school, from 2002 to 2005. He was defensive coordinator the last two seasons. For whatever it’s worth, Nicholls State was second in the Southland Conference in scoring defense and first in total defense in 2005. The team was third in third-down conversion percentage, 37.6 percent.

The Colonels were third in scoring defense and second in total defense in 2004. They were sixth (last) in third-down percentage (42.2 percent).

He and the rest of the coaching staff have a pretty big job this week, not only addressing mistakes that have tripped up the defense, but also trying to steer players distracted and upset by Groh’s firing in the same direction.

Personally speaking, I’ve found him to be earnest and hard-working. It’s also very obvious that he cares a lot about his players, and I’ve gotten the sense that the feeling is mutual. Those qualities should help him in his efforts to bring the defense together.

It’s not often that career turning points arrive on a schedule. Time will tell if that’s what this is for Kelly, 45. The son of a high school football coach, Kelly grew up in Alabama and knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. It’s one reason why he walked on at Auburn, for the chance to play for Pat Dye. Kelly was struck by Dye’s work ethic, a lesson he no doubt is summoning this week.

“You’ve just got to persevere,” Kelly said. “There’s going to be some tough times, but you’ve just got to be level and get through them.”

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181 comments Add your comment

GTVegas

October 10th, 2012
10:18 am

I, too, would like to see Giff Smith.

This is CPJ’s decision and I would imagine he knows any future beyond his current contract depends on it, not only with GT, but with anyone else.

I don’t expect Kelly to be the solution beyond this year, but I sure hope he sueprises everyone. Good luck to him and the team.

Since they do not do 2 a-days...

October 10th, 2012
10:26 am

…anymore during summer camp it is highly doubtful they would do them during the season – DOH…

beezit

October 10th, 2012
10:27 am

“provide stability and give the security of a Johnson a known commodity in the hire”

Great journalistic skills…what’s next, a public speaking gig..??..

juvenal

October 10th, 2012
10:49 am

Furman was first and foremost a gentleman-as are you, Ken……item #6, CPJ mentioned making D practice more physical, so, using 2 a days as a metaphor for a by gone era, what is the modern touchy-feely way of M&Ming the D into tackling like they mean it?

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
11:29 am

I won’t belabor or argue the point, but those of you that are saying GT’s defense only ran the 3-4 D 30% of the time, or whatever number you want to throw out, are not watching the same games I am. At the last home game against MTSU, I watched different DLinemen thru binoculars on different plays & particularly watched #90, Barnes. They NEVER deviated from the 3-4 alignment. 3 down linemen backed up by 4 linebackers. If you think you saw anything different, it was when a LB would crowd the LOS, which they do quite a bit. But the base defense was always a 3-4-4 alignment.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
11:40 am

Ken has a sense of humor & a quick wit. “adjust your monitors” LOLLOL

Born2Buzz

October 10th, 2012
12:48 pm

Ken, when you get a chance to talk with Kelly, I’d be interested to know if there will be any changes in starting personnel for the D?

The DB’s have not been great but I think they were completely out of position a lot of times. My one big worry is the Safety position with #1. Johnson is so often taking a wrong angle and completely missing the play that I can’t tell of he is just not in the right spot because of where he was told to be or if he is just too slow. And boy has he missed on some tackles this year.

I never got the impression that Groh knew who should really be on the field. Watching Logan Walls getting run over for 70% of the snaps while a 6-7, 340 guy sits on the bench never made sense to me.

And Kelly is the DC for the rest of this season. Let’s worry about speculating on a new DC after the season is over. You might all want Kelly for DC after the next 6 games.

Born2Buzz

October 10th, 2012
12:52 pm

14GT, you are right. It’s only a LB coming up on the line as a 4th rusher that changes the alignment. We never played 4 DLs.
And for those saying Barnes never collapses the pocket, remember, AG’s philosophy was “build a wall”. And Barnes was ALWAYS pulled on 3rd down. Barnes might be the biggest benefactor from the firing of AG.

GT Fan

October 10th, 2012
12:53 pm

Born2Buzz … unfortunately that 6′7″ 340 guy you are referring to plays like a 5′7″ 240 guy. He can’t tackle and gets pushed around WAY to much for a guy his size.

Many of us fans have been waiting for “the light to come on” with TJB, but I think the switch is broken (being that he’s a Senior and all…)

Born2Buzz

October 10th, 2012
12:55 pm

And for those of you wishing AG well and saying what a great man he was, I could give a rats ass about AG. He has no ties to GT other than 2-1/2 years of under performing in his duties. The Alums of his own alma mater hate the guy. Good riddance and have a nice retirement.

Born2Buzz

October 10th, 2012
12:58 pm

GTFan, let’s see. You might be right but I think this was a big time waste of talent.

GT Fan

October 10th, 2012
1:02 pm

Hard NOT to be a little pessimistic regarding the D.

Coach Kelly says:
“I believe this,” he said. “I believe if you do as good a job at the job you have, people recognize it.”

He’s the DB coach, correct, and he’s now auditioning for DC? “If youd do as good a job at the job you have….”

Is it just me or weren’t the DBs supposed to be a stength of the D? In just 6 games the DBs have already had a season’s worth of failures/under-performances. Coach Kelly is not doing a good job with his group. How can he be better as a DC?

GT Fan

October 10th, 2012
1:09 pm

Born2Buzz … another thing to consider regarding TJB …. he didn’t just grow to 6′7″ 350 once he hit the GT campus, he was that big in high school. How many HS guys his size are there? Not many.

TJ is from Enterprise, AL (about 30 minutes East of Dothan). Ever been tto Enterprise? I have. It’s a very small town, and there probably aren’t 2 high schools, if you put them together, that equal TJ’s size. The point I’m trying make here is, that at his size, he still couldn’t get rated any higher than 3 stars. And he got those stars b/c of the area he played in. At GT, he’s played like a 2 star.

George P Burdell NE

October 10th, 2012
1:14 pm

Sorry to disagree with you Ken, but the defensive secondary has been a sore spot for Tech for a while. Good passing teams have had a field day with our defense. I too often see our cover guys line up, fail to instantly recognize that we do not have the right coverage, and fail to communicate that to their teammates. To top it off, the safety is often out of place and beaten on the long throws.

We need a new direction on the defensive side.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
1:22 pm

Being critical of the DB play is all well & good. They have not made many plays….that is true. But, let’s remember who was calling the D plays too….the DC, not any of his assistants.

Have any of you guys ever heard of Willie Martinez?

October 10th, 2012
2:35 pm

I know, I know, he was a UGA guy so I should not bring it up – however, he was the DB coach at UGA and got promoted to DC – the DB’s were awful BEFORE he got promoted and the whole D was awful after he got promoted. He got finally got fired and ended up at OK as their DB coach – they sucked in the secondary the two years he was there and Stoops let him go after year two – be careful what you wish for…

And, born2buzz – you ever played any football? You sound like you know everything about defense, so I was just wondering?

Or, are you like that guy on the commercial that is the Saints fan, learns about the game on his phone, and gets scared like little girl by #52 from Green Bay…

And, for what it si worth (the cost of my time)...

October 10th, 2012
2:36 pm

…AG has not missed a tackle or been out of position yet, so we do not know if it is him, his assistants, or the players themselves who are at fault…

gt1012

October 10th, 2012
2:37 pm

AWESOME article Ken. I was hoping to hear more about our new DC and you delivered.

lxUn1c0

October 10th, 2012
2:49 pm

Well, if Tenuta’s totally off the table, then Giff Smith does sound like the best option to me.

Born2Buzz

October 10th, 2012
3:15 pm

Willie M, yikes, comparing Kelly with Willie Martinez, even if only theoretically, is not good.

And I never played above the high school level. I may not know anything about defense, but I do know that ours has sucked for 3 years. And I know what I’ve been seeing on the field.

Hell, I will acquiesce to GTFan on TJB. Maybe he is just a big dude and that is all.

Whatever, I hope we see improvement, of course it can’t be any worse. Maybe just one 3rd down stop in the 4th quarter?

Gus in Marietta

October 10th, 2012
4:01 pm

I gathered from little tidbits here and there in the press coverage that one of the issues with the Groh defense was that his defensive calls were being miscommunicated to the players on the field during the game or that they were coming in too late to allow them to get the call and get lined up correctly. Does anyone know anything specific that would support that?

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
4:16 pm

Yeah Gus, the on field play!!!!

Jacket Detective

October 10th, 2012
4:37 pm

Required reading for football fans: Ken has a link to article on Maryland’s new D coordinator Stewart.
He turned around a sinking program in a year.
He uses the 3-4 but blitzs a lot.
Unlike Alzeimer Groh.
Hire someone good after firing Wommack and Tech might have an elite program instead of a near sinking ship.
I am hoping the ship can be righted.

Jacket Detective

October 10th, 2012
4:40 pm

Why did the MTSU game remind me of Bill Lewis?
Both teams demoralized by a very poor coach.

Knute Rockney

October 10th, 2012
4:49 pm

Good luck to Kelly, but with so few athletes on his side of the ball, the audition will not go well.
I know CPJ is protected by donor money for the next few years, but as long as he keeps all the athletes on the offence, the D has no chance.

No one can explain the Bill Lewis fiasco...

October 10th, 2012
4:49 pm

He was 11-1 at East Carolina his last year before coming to Tech, and had been replaced at Wyoming by, of all people, Pat Dye, who left East Carolina to coach at Wyoming. After he left Tech he was a pretty good defensive back field coach in the pros…you just never know…

The Expert

October 10th, 2012
5:22 pm

I hope we chage our defense to a 4-3 which is much simplier than a 3-4 defense that we was running

Coach Z

October 10th, 2012
5:46 pm

New to the boards… Over 20 years experiencing the ups and downs of GT football… It always seemed to me that our secondary could make marvelous defenders if they cod take a quick second to locate a ball… Is it really that hard to swivel your head when chasing down a WR. To me, our CB/DB don’t have good awareness and or instinct.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
6:14 pm

Coach Z….if a DB is anywhere other that directly behind the receiver, he can “interfere” with the receiver if he turns his head to find the ball. In that case, the defender has as much right to the ball as the receiver.

DOUG

October 10th, 2012
6:23 pm

ok coach

SS loves Obama

October 10th, 2012
6:24 pm

@1 4…Good point.

yellow britches

October 10th, 2012
6:43 pm

Ken, aside from the comments from Paul Johnson that Groh and the Defense seemed to lack communication, i.e. assignments and alignments were missed at key junctures, why is the defense so bad? Why? Why don’t you or someone step out and say, “We as a defense sucked because . . . . “.
You and others are full of observations and anecdotes but no one wants to say what has gone so terribly wrong. Is it talent? Schemes? Communication? Step up and say something!!

TeknocratNOTdemokrat

October 10th, 2012
6:54 pm

5150…right on. Tenuta hit the door as soon as he realized he wouldn’t be HC. And those of you that think so highly of Tenuta – his blitz first and ask questions later defense got torched many many times…it was fun to watch, but it wan’t THAT successful.

rf

And, yes, Coach Z...

October 10th, 2012
7:30 pm

…it IS that difficult to turn your head to find a ball while running full speed with or after a receiver with your back to the QB…

Actually, 1 4 GT...

October 10th, 2012
7:31 pm

…the DB can only “interfere” IF he is going for the ball for which he has turned his head to locate..

Erk Russell

October 10th, 2012
7:32 pm

Thowi’n you a bone Mr. Kelly – take a look at how Erk Russel coached a defense. Ask pj about Mr. Russel a real Solid Defense man and one HELL of a Head coach, pj may remember him.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
7:37 pm

UM Actually, I believe that is what I said….semantics….sheesh

George P Burdell, NE

October 10th, 2012
7:53 pm

Coach and 14 GT,

A few decades ago, my teammates and I were taught to keep the receiver between you and the quarterback. We spent a lot of time on proper footwork and did a great job of being in position to make a play on the ball. The receiver had the advantage of knowing the route, but we saw the ball first and had an equal opportunity to make a play on the ball.

If you could not cover, or did not have the speed to cover, the only time you got on the field was for mop up duty.

Supersize that order, mutt

October 10th, 2012
7:57 pm

@ Erk Russell…….maybe you don’t remember from beyond the grave, but CPJ was once your DC at Ga Southern…..yes, that’s right, I said DC—defensive coordinator. Most people don’t remember that

dry dirt road

October 10th, 2012
8:37 pm

Tech grad here. Tech’s problems go back to 1982 and the birth of Buzz. We didn’t need Buzz to begin with. The yj Tech had on BD teams’ T-club jackets was carried over into when BD was AD, and Carson was coach. When Annette Funicello came to a frigid cold Atl and got Chick Granning’s autograph after his jaw was broken by the Bama player, Tech had the yj on the T-club jackets worn by Chick that were about the same yj when I was there from ‘69-’73. When Annette was there no Disney character named Buzz existed for on field display. So when the Buzz gets created, that does not synchronize with Annette and no Disney-like character at games in the 60’s. Then Tech said that they wanted a yj to synchronize with the game mascot, a Disney character from Disneyworld in Orlando. How could that be accomplished if Annette synchronized with the yj prior to Buzz? Also, no alums get to find out who is Buzz. They might not want to wear a Buzz sweatshirt/t-shirt if Buzz is a female, or a white alum like me might not want to wear a Buzz t-shirt if a black guy is Buzz at games doing pushups as the guy inside of a Buzz costume. It is an attempt by Tech to integrate blacks and whites by forcing the whites to wear clothing with a black on it, or maybe a female on it as Buzz. We had a black qb when I was there, and I had no problems with him, and he would have worn a T-club jacket with the same yj as Chick Granning wore. So we had integration right then, but in 1982 Tech had problems with racial and sexual integration choosing Buzz. That’s how I analyze Tech’s problems.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
8:58 pm

Now dry dirt road….don’t get me wrong….I’m not accusing….but you have to admit….if you step back & read what you typed….it smacks of being racial & sexual discrimination. That’s quite a big hit to lay on the GT administration.

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
8:59 pm

Also…the woes of the football team are the fault of………………………”BUZZ”?

Supersize that order, mutt

October 10th, 2012
9:00 pm

@ 1 4 GT……..I have to agree with you

GT Lee

October 10th, 2012
9:22 pm

It’s Annette Funicello’s fault

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
9:24 pm

Boy did I ever have a crush on Annette….she had some good ole biguns when she was 12……..

Supersize that order, mutt

October 10th, 2012
9:28 pm

Boy, me too, and there was girl up the street from me who was the spitting image of Annette, and only a year younger than me

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
9:35 pm

M I C K E Y M O U S E I reckon every red blooded boy in USA from 11 to 13 was in love with Annette. And dreamed of her every night! LOL

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
9:36 pm

Shoulda been literally thousands of blind boys back then! ROFL

Supersize that order, mutt

October 10th, 2012
9:37 pm

LMAO

1 4 GT

October 10th, 2012
9:46 pm

C’mon over to Tech notes: Jackets move……………………………………..& argue with Joe.

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