Notes: Tech defense receives energy infusion
1. Charles Kelly has no magic formulas. Georgia Tech’s interim defensive coordinator is just trying to emphasize the basics.
In his first interview since being elevated from secondary coach in the wake of Al Groh’s firing, Kelly endorsed a simple approach to coaching defense.
“I believe this,” he said. “I believe you try to put guys in the best situation, let ’em play fast and let the chips fall where they may.”
Tech went through its second practice of the bye week Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets will practice again Thursday and then be off until Monday. Tech plays Boston College at home Oct. 20. Players and coaches described the Wednesday practice, conducted in full pads, as energetic.
“The energy in our live drills has changed,” cornerback Louis Young said.
“He has great energy, fire, passionate,” outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu said. “That’s all you can really ask for.”
Kelly said the first priority in his preparations is to make sure players know where to line up and how to execute plays. Under Groh, improper pre-snap alignment and mental errors were often problems. Coach Paul Johnson said Wednesday he thought Tech had 47 missed assignments in its 47-31 loss to Clemson, Groh’s final game.
“The biggest thing we want to do is concentrate on going back and working on the fundamentals of the game,” he said. “This game, it’s not very complicated.”
2. Aside from having a new coordinator, most players on the defense are working with new position coaches thanks to a shuffling of responsibilities. Special-teams coordinator David Walkosky is coaching the defensive line, for example.
“They’re sponges. They absorb coaching,” Walkosky said of his new charges. “It’s been a great adjustment.”
Said nose tackle T.J. Barnes of his new coach, “It’s been cool. He’s a ball of energy.”
Walkosky is leaning on Andy McCollum, who had been coaching the line and is now working with the inside linebackers. Walkosky said his plan is “to try to let them run to the ball and set them loose a little bit.”
Tech will limit the amount it plays “two-gap” defense, in which linemen were tasked with controlling the gaps to their left and right and will instead play more “one-gap.” In that scheme, a lineman is responsible only for one crease and can play with a more attacking style. Johnson said that Tech was playing two-gap defense “a lot more than anybody else in the country” and didn’t have the right personnel to play it.
3. Young called Groh’s firing “bittersweet.” Young had been recruited to Virginia by Groh when he was coach there, then ended up at Tech after Groh was hired as defensive coordinator in Jan. 2010. Young had said previously that he saw Groh as a father figure.
“It hurt a little bit, but I understand it’s a transition and that’s just part of growing up and being a man,” Young said.
Attaochu also was recruited to Virginia before Groh switched jobs.
“I shot him a text message, just telling him how much we appreciate him over here, how much he’s taught us,” Attaochu said. “He’s a man of class, so I thought I’d show him some class.”
4. Guard Shaquille Mason and center Jay Finch were among those missing practice Wednesday with undisclosed injuries. Guard Omoregie Uzzi returned to practice after being held out Tuesday. Johnson said there were no serious injuries and that “everybody should be back on Monday,” the one exception being safety Fred Holton.
5. With the bye, Tech players and coaches will have their only weekend off until December. Many won’t get too far from the game. Quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said he planned to watch his sons play football Saturday morning. Offensive tackle Ray Beno and Young both want to watch their younger brothers play. Barnes is going the opposite direction. He said he’s going to Daytona Beach, Fla., by himself to lie on the beach. Barnes grew up there.
“Just to get away from football for a little bit,” he said.
In case you missed it…
Notes: Jackets move forward without Groh
Jeff Schultz: Radakovich says Johnson is ‘right person for this job’
Audition begins for interim Charles Kelly
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
190 comments Add your comment
Jacket Detective
October 11th, 2012
10:05 am
@crackbaby.
Funny about Ralph.
I reconsider my view of O’Leary.
But not Groh.
Groh got us to Bill Lewis territory without his well timed firing.
Jacket Detective
October 11th, 2012
10:13 am
@Carolina Jacket.
I’ve wondered about that too.
Do we need to hide what is wrong with a player?
Why does his timeline keep being moved to the next game?
Jacket Detective
October 11th, 2012
10:18 am
Everyone said there was no racism involved in their comments about Hewitt yet many are so polite to Al Groh.
Groh’s getting outcoached every week resulted in a demoralized team that was circling at the drain.
Al Groh = Bill Lewis (in his effect on the team)
Disaster averted only by his firing.
juvenal
October 11th, 2012
10:31 am
19 year old guys need energy infusions? put red bull on the sidelines instead of gatorade…….
Freddie Blassie
October 11th, 2012
10:43 am
@ JD
Coach Dodd was a great guy but I am not sure how good an AD he was. I suspect the business manager at the time handled the lions share of the AA’s stuff. He was a fighter pilot in WWII and sharp as a tack; unfortunately, I am not because I cannot remember his name right now.
Homer Rice was a superlative AD since Dodd, but you are right about the Hewitt contract. That contract was the brain child (pun intended) of the dishonest Dave Braine. An attorney with GT’s interest could not have seen that Hewitt contract: if so, he should be disbarred. I believe Braine was also responsible for Gailey’s contract, which also put GT behind the eight ball.
Paul Johnson is not going anywhere, unless he pulls a George O’Leary and leaves on his own. Tech fans like to bitch and whine and act like spoiled children and this sometimes resulted in dumbazz reactions like the firing of Bud Carson, the hiring of Bill Lewis and Tech’s biggest quitter, Bill Curry. I do not believe DRAD is prone to this type behavior and will stay the course with Paul Johnson (who will never be a failed GT coach).
james
October 11th, 2012
10:45 am
All I want is a real GT man for head coach,go with George Godsey.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
10:50 am
@ carolina jacket…..for whatever it may be worth, I have been told by someone who knows the Holton family that Fred Holton’s injury is a “lingering one.” I was told exactly what the injury is, but was asked not to post it on here because there is apparently some reason why the Tech staff has not released that information. I know that sounds like I, or the person who told me, doesn’t really have a clue. But that’s really all I feel comfortable in saying right now, per that person’s request.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
10:52 am
@ Freddie Blassie, Bobby Dodd was, in fact, a TERRIBLE AD. A great coach, obviously, but many of his decisions as AD were just plain worthless.
Tokyo jacket
October 11th, 2012
10:53 am
The World Wide Leader has a good blog post on why CPJ had to let Al Groh go mid-season. Bottom line, he wouldn’t change his system to fit the players on the team and the results continued to get worse. I don’t think he wanted to do it mid-year or at all. But if you read between the lines, it looks like CPJ might have felt we’d go 2-10 with CAG remaining on the sidelines.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
10:54 am
@ james…….we have already had three “real GT men” for head coach at Tech — Fulcher, Rodgers, and Curry. Although I still think Fulcher had all the makings of a great coach and just gave up, we know what happened with Rodgers and Curry, and most of it was not good. I want a good coach, no matter where he comes from, and at least for now, I am more than happy with CPJ.
Tokyo jacket
October 11th, 2012
10:56 am
@supersize, is the Institute ever planning on making it public?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
10:57 am
@ Tokyo…..I do not know, and the person who informed me does not know either, nor does that person know why it has not been made public. However, the information I received originated from Fred’s mom.
Island jacket
October 11th, 2012
11:12 am
I for one thought that the Groh hire was a good one. Now I know it was not right for us. The 2 gap NFL defense was just not working for us. I like the fact that CPJ gives his DC the space to run his own show, but the overall success was on him. To me he made the right decision, because our O have scored enough points to win every game we’ve played. No defense we’ve played so far has controlled our offense. Our defense was just not good.
The the people on this blog that is saying we don’t have the talent. I disagree with you. We have talented players on this team. The scheme just did not fit. I hope this change works out for us, and we have a much better second half of the season.
GO JACKETS!!!
THWG….
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
11:14 am
@ island jacket……..agree 100%
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
11:15 am
Now that Al Groh is gone, our offense will improve greatly! Being #36 in scoring, and #66 in 2nd half scoring is not good enough! We won’t have grandpa Groh to slow down our offense any more! Let the wins roll in!
Island jacket
October 11th, 2012
11:16 am
@Supersize, You forgot Lewis….
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
11:18 am
Island Jacket: yeah, no defense has held our offense in check. Except for MTSU (7 pts in the 2nd half), Miami (0 points in the last 25 minutes and 0 in OT) and Clemson (3 pts in the 4th quarter). Aside from that, yeah, nobody held our offense in check.
We’re #36 in scoring for goodness sakes! We should be a top 10 team with that kind of offense!
thank the lord Al Groh is gone.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
11:18 am
@ Island Jacket……Lewis was not a GT man, real or otherwise
Island jacket
October 11th, 2012
11:22 am
@GTJoe, A bad defense would hurt the moral of a team. I know many of you have never played the game, but if the offense is out there scoring and the defense just let the other team score, it hurt the moral of the team. It goes the other way too. The point is… We put up enough points to win.
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
11:26 am
No no no, island jacket. I’m with you. Being ranked #36 in scoring is definitely “enough points to win”. Why, with that kind of ranking, we should be ranked #36 in the country, if our defense was as good as our offense, right? And #36 is great for Tech…
Freddie Blassie
October 11th, 2012
11:33 am
We have the talent on defense to win. Let them play!
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
11:37 am
Island: check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge86vScRXr8
focus on 4:20 and later, the 4th down play that tevin misread, kept the ball and failed, costing us the miami game. It was supposed to be a pitch to Orwin, but Tevin kept the ball.
Now watch carefully at Orwin #17’s reaction after the play. He goes to #25 (the blocking a-back) immediately, probably like “WTF was that? wasn’t i supposed to get the ball?” Goes off screen with #25, then walks up to Tevin, puts his hands up, finds out he failed on the measurement, and just turns his back on TW and walks off.
How’s that for a morale booster.
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
11:43 am
sorry island, just one more morale booster:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IJKGqLU-8s
Watch #50 after Tevin’s INT…throws his hands up like WTF. Oh yeah, look at Tevin on the sidelines afterwards. Not ONE PERSON comes up to him to console him. NOT ONE.
ignition
October 11th, 2012
11:58 am
Alabama’s Defensive Line Starters”
Jessie Williams Height 6′4 Weight 320
Ed Stintson Height 6′4 Weight 285
Damion Square Height 6′3 Weight 286
Georgia Tech Defensive Starters
TJ Barnes 6′7 345
Emanuel Dieke 6′6 285
Izaan Cross 6′4 300
The Personnel Issue is a complete LIE !!!!! Across the board Tech’s Line is comparable or BIGGER than each team that runs a 3-4 (hell even a 4-3) in College Football when it comes to size and height.. That’s The Facts !!!!!
I call BS on GT Joe's...
October 11th, 2012
12:01 pm
……”expert analysis” on the Miami option play – the problem is that NOBODY blocked # 44, and with him crashing down TW did not have time to pitch the ball – it was not a misread, it was a botched play by the TE and tackle, both of whom failed to block anybody, as the wing back took the OLB/DB and the TE & pulling tackle blocked air, and TW took the hit and the blame…and Orwin did not say “WTF” to #25, it looked like he was asking how come the TE and tackle screwed up so bad…
And the other clip was the VT game, and everyone knows that was a dumb throw by TW…and then he still leads the O to average over 40 points per game in the next 5 games, but it still is all his fault…
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
12:05 pm
Good points, except that Tech doesn’t use a TE
adams 56
October 11th, 2012
1:01 pm
Enter your comments here
adams 56
October 11th, 2012
1:13 pm
GT`s offensive line is weak, and out of shape. I have been a Tech fan for a long time, I intend on sticking with the problem but people need to accept the fact that the whole team needs improvement. Until that happens we are not going to move forward.
JetBuzz
October 11th, 2012
1:14 pm
Like him or not, Dr. Lou Holtz himself says football isn’t complicated. Think CAG made CFB a little too much so. Gotta like Coach Kelly’s philosophy – simplify, enable, unleash.
The question about talent levels should be answered soon. With the D misfiring so badly, the whole team was undoubtedly affected. If the D can turn it around, it may open-up the whole team to better play – more confidence, more relaxed and aggressive execution, more demonstrated athleticism. We can hope.
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
1:22 pm
I Call BS: “it was not a misread”? Well CPJ said it was, so are you suggesting a coverup? Call the CIA!
yeller bug
October 11th, 2012
1:34 pm
It seems a lot of people on this blog have similiar conclusions just stated in different ways. For those that say we don’t have the talent—well that can’t be fixed this year and it will take years to fix. You can pout about it or recognize that you go to war with the army you have, not the army you want.
The rest of us think the talent is sufficiently there, but the execution is not with the majority of that responsibility falling on the coaches. We got Al Groh, a former head coach, a Super Bowl winning coach at a cheap price (at least the first two years). It didn’t work. Sometimes the best laid plans….
We’re now regrouping….with a focus on minimizing missed assignments on the D…translate simplify and adjust based on talent…don’t have the DL studs to play 2 gap…I think we’ll be surprised on how well the D improves in the BC game.
I’ll beat this drum every day that CPJ needs to make adjustments on O too. That we should start TW and run the TO, but play Vad using the pistol with an Oregon style offense play calling–be it a series here and there or after TW makes a long run to give him a two or three play breather. Get Vad playing time but NOT running the TO. He doesn’t have the confidence yet to make those last minute pitches so don’t stress him on that yet, but let him get some playing time on the things he does well and that will get him more comfortable with the speed of the game. Show some confidence in your players and call plays that fit their strengths. We know the TO works, but so does a lot of other offensive play sets. Let’s optimize the use of the talents of our personnel instead of stubbornly sticking to one offensive system.
Coach Z
October 11th, 2012
2:04 pm
Enter your comments here@GT Joe. Thanks for posting that video of TW getting stuffed. I saw how open OS was and it was obvious the ball should have gone to 17. However, I am angry again that I am a Tech fan. Did you shoot the video?
Uh, Supersize...
October 11th, 2012
2:04 pm
…if you look at the clip you will see 3 (THREE) linemen to the side the plays goes to; I admit that GT usually does not use a TE, but on this play there were THREE linemen and a wingback, so the THIRD lineman, even with a number in the 50s-70s, is considered a TE on this play…I thought you knew football better than this – you are usually right on with you observations…
I call BS on GT Joe's...
October 11th, 2012
2:08 pm
..and yest, GT Foe, I am saying that although the play was SUPPOSED to be a pitch it is my belief that CPJ is placing the blame on TW when he did not have time to pitch – we can say he SHOULD have done this or that, especially in hindsight, but with that split second timing that the QB has sometimes things are way out of his control…I truly doubt that both the tackle and TE were supposed to block on the corner, especially when the A back is already out there…
Or, Supersize...
October 11th, 2012
2:11 pm
…if you want to stick with the non TE terminology, you would call the formation an unbalanced line, but it was not unbalanced, you just had another tackle where a “TE” is supposed to be…
Freddie Blassie
October 11th, 2012
2:14 pm
BS,
It was a misread. Washington had time to pitch the damned ball and screwed up, pure and simple.
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
2:18 pm
I call BS:
Let me clarify this play for you. This is what CPJ said about the play, in a nutshell:
The play call was to pitch to Orwin. It wasn’t an option play, just a straight pitch. The miami defense shifted before the snap, and Tevin changed the play to a QB run. Then, the miami D shifted BACK, and Tevin did not change the play BACK to the Orwin pitch (as CPJ said he should have done). The result is, Tevin got outsmarted, and got stuffed.
THis isn’t MY analysis; this is CPJ’s.
Wal-Mart Retards
October 11th, 2012
2:19 pm
If the defense improves, then the offense gets the ball back. As long as the offense maintains efficiency, we score more points.
GT Joe
October 11th, 2012
2:26 pm
Conversely, retard: if the offense can sustain drives, the defense can improve. 3rd down efficiency is bad, scoring is bad, despite the fact that we are WINNING the time of possession battle.
Yep, offensively, averaging 40 points per game...
October 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
…scoring is “bad”…
Fact is...
October 11th, 2012
2:35 pm
We are #36 in scoring in the nation…. not good enough, unless you are satisfied with mediocrity.
"(as CPJ said he should have done)."
October 11th, 2012
2:37 pm
…and Tevin said that the head coach’s RULE on audibles is to only change it ONCE – thus, yes, I think CPJ is covering his own arse and is throwing his QB under the bus, thank you very much…
Hmmmm.....
October 11th, 2012
2:40 pm
Let’s see, Tevin says the rule is to change it once; CPJ says there is no such rule.
Hmmmm….who to believe…
FL Jacket
October 11th, 2012
2:43 pm
“Conversely, retard: if the offense can sustain drives, the defense can improve. 3rd down efficiency is bad, scoring is bad, despite the fact that we are WINNING the time of possession battle.”
Watch WalMart…when you try to approach GT Joe with facts…
The Tech defense allowed Clemson to convert on 13-19 3rd downs (and 31-46 in the last 3 games – 67%). An average defense would stop the opponent on 3rd down at a clip of 7-19 (somewhere around 37%).
So let’s see, that’s 6 extra 1st downs in which you also get 2 extra downs for each 3rd down coversion. The defense was directly resposible for Clemson having 18 extra downs simply by lining up. How you even entertain putting this on the offense in your “crusade” to see Tevin benched is comical…it’s truly amusing because any rational thinker would think you were an idiot if you were serious.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
@ Uh… and or…. You can call the outside man on the line whatever you want to, but the FACT is that Johnson does NOT recruit tight ends and HE does not refer to the outside man on the line as being a tight end. I have often wondered why he doesn’t use a tight end; it would seem to me to be a perfectly useful tool even in his offense, but he doesn’t. So call the man what you want to, in CPJ terminology, that is not a tight end.
FL Jacket
October 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
“We are #36 in scoring in the nation…. not good enough, unless you are satisfied with mediocrity.”
Fact is…try 27th in scoring offense and 22nd in total offense (yards) per game. That’s upper quartile…very far from “mediocrity”
Uh, Fact is...
October 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
…GT is 27th in scoring and 91st in scoring against (defense)…while OK State is first in scoring (84 points in their first game is hard to overcome) and 94th in scoring against…
FL Jacket
October 11th, 2012
2:47 pm
SS…having Darren Waller (6′5″ 220) in tight is just as good as having a TE in the formation. Imagine that offensive look with BeyBey Thomas in that spot at 6′4″ 235…
Fact is...
October 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
27th if you count games vs. FCS teams.
36th against FBS teams (you know, the teams that matter in the BCS computer polls?).
Supersize that order, mutt
October 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
If Tevin has been “thrown under the bus,” it’s certainly not CPJ who threw him there. Tevin threw himself there but doing exactly what CPJ had told him not to do. I am not a Tevin hater like GT Joe is, but I am quick to admit when Tevin blows something, and he has blown that particular call at least twice, and one of those times was the botched OT play against Miami