Charles Kelly focusing in on task at hand
Charles Kelly thought he was recruiting. In fact, he was interviewing for his job.
In the weeks after Paul Johnson was hired to replace Chan Gailey as coach of Georgia Tech in Dec. 2007, Gailey’s assistants stayed on to coach in the bowl game. Their futures at Tech were, at best, uncertain. In some cases, their commitment to keep recruiting reflected that.
Kelly, then Tech’s special-teams coordinator, kept up with phone calls and accompanied Johnson on home visits. After one visit, Johnson told Kelly that he wanted to be up front with him that he wasn’t necessarily going to be retained.
“And I will never forget,” Johnson said. “He told me, he said, ‘My dad taught me a long time ago, if you’re taking a man’s money, then you should work. I’m still taking their money, so I should work.’”
Kelly’s actions and response helped secure himself a spot on Johnson’s staff. Through his continued work, he has earned an opportunity to make the best of a bad situation and perhaps advance his career. For the remainder of the season, Kelly will serve as Tech’s interim defensive coordinator in the place of Al Groh, fired Monday.
“I’m going to do the job as hard as I can,” said Kelly, who grew up in Ozark, Ala., the son of a high school football coach.
Kelly, who comes across as earnest and team-oriented, assumes leadership of a listing ship. Tech has lost its past three games and given up 42, 49 and 47 points, becoming the first Tech team ever to allow 40 or more points in three consecutive games. Out of 120 FBS teams, the Yellow Jackets are ranked 89th in the country in scoring defense (30.2 points per game), 90th in total defense (431.0 yards per game) and 103rd in defensive third-down conversion percentage (47.8 percent).
His answer is to reduce the scheme, put players in position to succeed and practice with energy.
“The biggest thing we’ve tried to instill is, Hey, listen: What you do on Saturday are the habits that you develop during the week,” Kelly said.
The Jackets also figure to tweak the 3-4 scheme to a style more suited to the players’ s strengths and use more players than Groh had. Coaches also plan to run more full-speed drills to sharpen players’ tackling, a weak spot. Kelly, who has been a defensive coordinator at the FCS level at Nicholls State and Jacksonville State, will rely on the input of fellow defensive assistants Andy McCollum, Joe Speed and David Walkosky, the special-teams coordinator who is taking on the defensive line.
“He’s got us involved and we’re committed to him,” Walkosky said. “It’s really a ‘we’ thing.”
Kelly, 45, has made the work ethic he learned from his father Lavon and from Auburn coaching great Pat Dye, whom Kelly played for as a walk-on, a point of emphasis with his players.
“He made me a better player by never letting me get comfortable, always pushing me to do better,” former safety Rashaad Reid said.
Mario Butler, who played cornerback for Kelly and is on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, said that besides insufficient effort, mental mistakes also drive Kelly up a wall.
“It wasn’t really nice, I can say that,” said Butler, asked how Kelly reacted to mental errors.
An intolerance for not executing assignments properly – and better yet, a method for avoiding them altogether – would do the Jackets well. Under Groh, players repeatedly lined up out of position and were unable to run the defense correctly. In last Saturday’s 47-31 loss to Clemson, Groh’s last, Johnson said he thought there were 47 missed assignments. Under Kelly’s direction, Tech will simplify its scheme to keep players from being slowed by having to think through their assignments.
Kelly’s players swear by him, not only for his coaching ability but for how he has developed relationships with them away from the game.
“I think he’ll do a great job,” Butler said. “I think the guys are going to respond well and play hard for him.”
Kelly will have the opportunity to win the full-time job, though, once again, there are no guarantees. And, like the last time, the only angle Kelly is playing is the one his father taught him.
“Honestly, what I’ve tried to do is focus on Georgia Tech and those players,” he said. “I think if you work and do your job, do everything you can, work as hard as you can, I can live with the results.”
(I think this should conclude Charles Kelly week.)
In case you missed it…
Notes: Tech defense receives energy fusion
Notes: Jackets move forward without Groh
Jeff Schultz: Radakovich says Johnson is ‘right person for this job’
Audition begins for interim Charles Kelly
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173 comments Add your comment
GT1990
October 11th, 2012
8:32 pm
Im not sure we can get to a bowl this year. I really hope we do but the remainder of the schedule is going to be tough.
GT1990
October 11th, 2012
8:41 pm
@14gt- Maybe things will turn around for GT and me and you could see eye to eye hahaha.
GTfan2012
October 11th, 2012
8:59 pm
GT1990,
If we play like we did against MTSU, every game will be tough. If we play like we did against UVA, we can win every game, including UGA.
GT1990
October 11th, 2012
9:02 pm
Very true
Clyde
October 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
I was being positive, 1 4 GT!
I love Jan Kemp
October 11th, 2012
9:47 pm
I was encouraged when CPJ fired Wommack after ‘09 I was encouraged because they’d just won the ACC and he wasn’t satisfied. Groh turned out to be a mistake but he was man enough to admit he made a mistake. I’m hoping Kelley can get it out of em because he deserves a shot after his loyalty to GT. Playing Ds about attitude as much as anything and I hope they start showing some! Go Jackets!
GTOC.clone
October 11th, 2012
10:10 pm
Rise up Artificial Inelegance Engineers, clone the pj genius to a virtual OC, and free up his time to run the D like he did at GA Southern, winning championships!
Signaling straight from your dorm room to A.I. helmets. Please do not tell the NCAA, or D-rad.
Lets go!
GTOC.clone
October 11th, 2012
10:21 pm
I like Kelly’s hair cut. Reminds me of Erk Russel.
and i misspelled intelligence, that is just not like me.
yeller bug
October 11th, 2012
11:34 pm
Would love to see a defense that’s aggressive and flies to the ball. I hope they can earn the nickname—The Swarm. Right now, we’re known as The Swatted.
Ignition
October 11th, 2012
11:55 pm
I hope he installs some passion to the defense .. I would like to see an aggressive swarming defense. Stout in fundamentals and crisp tackling .. Idealing a defense that put constant pressure on the qb that produces a ton of sacks and tackles for loss and be able to get off the feild on 3rd Down.
Jacket Detective
October 12th, 2012
12:06 am
Looks like a lot of positive energy was just waiting to burst out among both the team and the fans.
Jimmy
October 12th, 2012
6:31 am
“Out of 120 FBS teams, the Yellow Jackets are ranked 89th in the country in scoring defense (30.2 points per game), 90th in total defense (431.0 yards per game) and 103rd in defensive third-down conversion percentage (47.8 percent).”
Ken, there are actually 124 teams on the FBS level, NOT 120 as you state. Now GIT fans, feel better? The stats aren’t as bad as you all thought, now are they? Life is all about perspective afterall.
Wal-Mart Retards
October 12th, 2012
8:19 am
Wait – this guy used to coach our special teams? Ruh-roh.
Tokyo jacket
October 12th, 2012
9:15 am
@CT, we’ve actually been getting 4- and 5-star guys on campus with CPJ and CAG…actually, quite a few of them. We’ve finished in the top 3 for a lot of them, but landed few of them. That’s why I think Shannon would be huge at DC; I think he could get some of the Tomlinsons, Tuitts, and Vaughters to pull the trigger. CPJ has been getting some higher level recruits on campus, but we haven’t been getting them to stay en masse.
Tokyo jacket
October 12th, 2012
9:20 am
@GT20212 – you’re dead right. If everyone played with the swagger that #6 shows at times, we’d be a scary defense.
GTfan2012
October 12th, 2012
9:42 am
Jimmy,
Actually you are wrong. There 120 full FBS D-1 football members. Those are the only teams looked at when comparaing team stats. Copied from wikipedia: Four schools—Massachusetts, South Alabama, Texas State, and UTSA—began transitions to FBS in 2011. Their last season as FCS members was 2011, with provisional FBS membership in 2012 and full FBS membership in 2013.
Delbert D.
October 12th, 2012
9:52 am
Much has been made of Tech’s defensive line not being able to penetrate and make tackles for loss and QB sacks. Since Tech is now switching to the more “aggressive” 1-gap from the 2-gap 3-4, it is useful to look at how Georgia’s 1-gap defense is faring in the 3rd season of that defense. Here are the stats for tackles for loss and sacks for the defensive linemen this season.
Starters
Tackles for loss
John Jenkins 1.0, 2 yards
Abry Jones 1.0, 1 yard
Cornelius Washington 3.0, 5 yards
Sacks
John Jenkins 0
Abry Jones 0
Cornelius Washington 0.5
2nd team
Tackles for loss
Kwame Geathers 2.0, 4 yards
Sacks
None
Wes
October 12th, 2012
10:53 am
CCK needs to focus on being THE BEST at stopping the “no huddle” offenses that are becoming so prevalent.
Aim high, Coach!
1 4 GT
October 12th, 2012
11:40 am
Hey defense, as the dwags say, “GATA”! GOOOOO JACKETS THWGeorgie
1 4 GT
October 12th, 2012
11:43 am
The team has several days off right now. Hope they relax & get re-energized for. Would be great to see them return & be all rejuvenated & raring to get’em. GOOOO JACKETS THWGeorgie
1 4 GT
October 12th, 2012
11:43 am
“for” not needed………..
yeller bug
October 12th, 2012
12:33 pm
I think we hold BC to under 400 yds total offense [290 P / 110 R]—not a great performance but certainly better than what we’ve seen. Tech wins by 2 TDs.
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
2:17 pm
@1 4….Good points
Beat UGA
October 12th, 2012
2:47 pm
Complexity breeds failure……
William Casey
October 12th, 2012
3:00 pm
It’s amazing how perspective and attitude can change so quickly. After GT’s second possession of the 2nd half of the Miami game, the Jackets went up 36-19, having come back from an 0-19 deficit. I was thinking: “maybe we’ve got something special here.” Optimism was quickly dashed. My projected 9-3 (at worst) season devolved into “can we make a bowl?” Football is an emotional game. I hope the Jackets get the “fire” back. It does work both ways.
JY Dawg
October 12th, 2012
3:03 pm
UGA fan here and hope you guys get back on track. CPJ showed some will to move forward with the changes he has made. Hope it works out for you as GT has some very good talent. Now go win some games!! See you in November.
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
3:32 pm
With CAG gone hopefully we can switch to the 4-3 defense.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
4:34 pm
@ ….Obama……your posts are generally good, but how much longer are you going to keep that STUPID name, especially after Ken warned you more than once about it. Everybody who posts regularly on here knows who SS, and everybody also know that SS does NOT love Obama. Clean it up, bud.
GTfan2012
October 12th, 2012
4:53 pm
My guess is that “SS loves…” is really WnE.
GT
October 12th, 2012
4:57 pm
We are going to be fine.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
5:02 pm
@ GTgan2012……nah, I don’t think so. Whoever he is got into it with me one day a few weeks ago under another name (I forget what). I pissed him off, and he came up with that one, except he spelled out my name. Ken was watching the blog and told him to change it or be banned. He fired off an insult at Ken then, which should have gotten him banned. Instead, he simply abbreviated my name and still shows up on here using it. It totally pisses me off, because I am definitely NOT an Obama fan.
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
5:34 pm
Please stop attacking me. Just trying to add my opinions.
C'mon, Super ...
October 12th, 2012
5:36 pm
…don’t be so thin skinned – SS can stand for Super Sport, the car of all car’s back in the 60’s(as you well know) – Ken told him to clean it up and he did, so lighten up…
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
5:47 pm
@ C’mon…….I KNOW what he’s up to, because I was here when he started it. I am not thin skinned. And he did not clean it up, because Ken also told him to keep politics off the blog.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
5:48 pm
@ …..Obama……it’s fine for you to add your opinions, and the most recent ones, I have agreed with. But GET RID OF THE DAMN NAME !!!!
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
6:12 pm
All I can say is someone on the board is trying to control who, what and how is posted on this blog. fascism is a tenant of Obama. So I assume that person loves Obama.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
6:54 pm
How is anybody on here trying to control anything? That’s the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Maybe none of us like the trolls, and the blogs would definitely be better without them, but most of us have learned just to show them up for the fools they are or to ignore them completely. The only thing any of us want done that is not currently being done is for there to be a “registration” of blogger names, just like every other website REQUIRES. This will prevent name thievery and the ensuing defamation of character, when they make posts which the actual “owner” of that name would never make. Incidentally, I consider you to be defaming my character when you use a name like the one you use. Handling a situation like that is neither censorship nor fascism. By the way, I agree completely with your assessment of Obama, and I guess that’s why I object so much to having my name associated with him. Actually, by doing what you do, you fall more in line with their ways than I do, because you (at least implicitly) lie out your azz and expect everybody to believe you.
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
7:15 pm
I am just glad CAG is gone.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 12th, 2012
7:28 pm
See, I agree with you on that, but WHY do you feel you have to use that name? C’mon, man.
SS loves Obama
October 12th, 2012
8:12 pm
Sorry
Wal-Mart Retards
October 12th, 2012
8:37 pm
weak, dude.
Jmonty
October 12th, 2012
10:18 pm
Why is it Navy can show how the passing game works??? 3 passing TD’s!!!
1 4 GT
October 12th, 2012
11:05 pm
Supersize….I have asked/told the jerk, SS l O, to refrain from addressing me at all. but I see the jerk is back. I resent him posting ANYTHING at all addressing me in any way what so ever. He is nothing more that a butt sniffing mutt troll.
1 4 GT
October 12th, 2012
11:07 pm
BTW, “SS l O” is trying to copy Supersize in his style of commenting.
all i remember is the flamboyant defense fell apart
October 13th, 2012
12:05 am
9-4
RISE UP.
Jacket Detective
October 13th, 2012
6:55 am
A firing at mid-season is very rare. CPJ saw the signpost up ahead that reads the Bill Lewis twilight zone.
Jacket Detective
October 13th, 2012
6:57 am
Some fans have been so polite to Al Groh. He took a bad defense and somehow made it a lot worse.
Old Dog
October 13th, 2012
8:59 am
To Hell with Tek, today,tomorrow and every other day.
Jacket Detective
October 13th, 2012
9:20 am
@Old Dog.
I’m almost glad we lost to u in 2009 and 2010 as that has Uga stuck with Richt and his being always outcoached by the hated Spurrier.
BTW, I went to Florida for a year so I can claim them as a college to pull for with more credentials than half your fans who have never sniffed a classroom in Athens.
Spurrier, Saban and Miles = elite coaches.
Richt = mediocre and 90% of your fans know it.
Jacket Detective
October 13th, 2012
9:36 am
Think where the Dawgs program would be if they hired someone like Spurrier or Saban instead of Goff, Donnan and Richt.
The same knock applies to us.
It starts with the head coach and how good he is at picking coordinators.
CPJ gets more time to right the ship (Ken borrowed my metaphor – imatation is the highest form of flaterry) but hiring Groh was a huge mistake.
I’ll admit a bias against coaches, already multi-millionaires, who hold their past employer to full payment of a contract they routinely tear up when they want to leave.
That bias, had CPJ had it, would have meant a no to Groh.
Should not have been allowed to attend practices either in 2009 after bring fired by Virginia.