Notes: Johnson’s concerns about BYU
Notes from coach Paul Johnson’s news conference Tuesday
1. Johnson expressed concern for defending BYU quarterback Riley Nelson, noting his experience and mobility.
“He’s got a strong arm, but he’s really hurt people when they get out of their rush lanes and he pulls the thing down on boots and run. The quarterback is a good player,” he said.
More broadly, Johnson anticipates a team that will test the Yellow Jackets with its size and strength.
“They’ll pass the look test, I promise you,” he said. “When we played them every year when I was at the University of Hawai’i, you won’t play too many teams that look any better getting off the bus than BYU.”
2. Johnson liked the way the rotation with the defensive line worked, with backups Adam Gotsis, Shawn Green, Anthony Williams and Euclid Cummings getting considerable time.
“I don’t know that anybody stands out and is that much better than anybody coming in,” he said. “So everybody gets some snaps.”
3. Nothing different with the kicking situation from Monday’s notes, although punter Sean Poole will be back holding.
4. Daniel Drummond is splitting snaps with Jabari Hunt-Days at the inside linebacker position opposite Quayshawn Nealy.
5. Johnson said something needs to be done to improve the pass rush, whether it’s blitzing, running stunts with the linemen or simply the linemen winning one-on-one against offensive linemen. Johnson said that the game video shows that players are actually getting closer to the quarterback than it seems during games, but, it is “clearly an issue.”
Another solution is dropping more players into pass coverage to flood passing lanes.
“You can’t just be one-dimensional,” he said. “You have to be able to do both.”
Regarding Nelson, Johnson acknowledged that forcing a faster player like him out of the pocket isn’t necessarily the answer.
“There are certain guys that you play that you want to keep in the pocket and you’d maybe rather see them throw it than you would pull it down and run with it,” Johnson said. “He’s pretty good at both but he can kill you if you don’t contain him because he’s got good speed, he’s a good athlete and he really hurts people when he gets out of the pocket.”
6. Johnson credited the success on third down (Boston College was 1-for-9) to better run defense. Tech gave up just 32 yards on 16 attempts. It yielded third-and-long situations, which the Eagles couldn’t convert.
In those situations, “You can play at the sticks and come up and tackle them and they had to punt the ball,” he said.
(It bears mentioning that Tech was having equal trouble with third-and-long and third-and-short earlier this season.)
7. There is no specific plan to play quarterback Vad Lee as of Tuesday. Johnson said he will see how practices goes this week before deciding.
“Clearly, he’s a good athlete and capable of making big plays,” Johnson said. “He also had the ball out a couple of times, we’ve got to do better on some read parts of the thing but he’s an exciting player and he kind of gives you a boost when he gets out there. No question about it.”
8. Defensively, Johnson said that the Cougars are “big and physical up front” and capable of stopping the run without secondary support. BYU also shows a lot of different looks on third-and-long, blitzes and fire-zone blitzes. He noted end Ezekiel Anseh, calling him a probable first-round draft pick.
9. A-back Synjyn Days’ playing time was limited Saturday because “he and I weren’t on the same page,” Johnson said. Johnson didn’t provide detail but suggested it was an off-field matter. Overall, Days is practicing better and will play against BYU with a good week of practice.
10. Offensive tackle Will Jackson’s shoulder injury muddles the offensive line depth. If he can’t play, Morgan Bailey will start at right tackle and either Bryan Chamberlain or Tyler Kidney would be the first off the bench. At guard, the first sub would be either Trey Braun or Errin Joe. If he does play, Johnson said that Jackson, who didn’t practice Monday and won’t again Tuesday afternoon, would be the first to rotate in at guard and tackle.
11. Offensive tackle Ray Beno (ankle) and B-back Zach Laskey (shoulder), both of whom left the game with injuries, practiced Monday.
12. Johnson, who voiced his displeasure Saturday (for the second time this year, that I can recall) with the lack of support offered by reserve players from the sideline, offered further explanation. He called it a matter of immaturity and observed that it has increased over the years.
“You’re part of the team and you should be there cheering on your teammates and be excited to watch what’s going on and not in la-la land,” he said.
Johnson particularly directed his frustration with players “who understand they’re probably not going to play, but that still doesn’t change,” he said. “It should still be a privilege to be able to dress out and have your name on the back of your uniform and be on the sidelines at Georgia Tech. It’s not something that you should just kind of show up.”
13. The players of the game for the Boston College win were A-back B.J. Bostic, safety Isaiah Johnson and long snapper Tyler Morgan. Bostic had five carries for 28 yards and two catches for 66 yards. Both receptions were enormous. The first was a phenomenal 39-yard catch on a 3rd-and-8 on the opening drive that prevented Tech from having to punt from its own 8-yard line. The second was a 27-yarder in the second quarter that converted a 3rd-and-26 and kept alive a possession that ended in a touchdown for a 14-0 lead.
Johnson made four solo tackles, tied for most total tackles on the team and had a forced fumble on the first play of the second half that the Jackets converted into a field goal. Morgan had a mistake-free afternoon on 11 snaps.
In case you missed it…
Notes: Field-goal unit needing repair
Tech vs. highly ranked run defenses
With BYU next, no-huddle issues loom for Tech
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
More notes this evening, 9:30-ish. Thanks for reading.
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189 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:41 pm
@ ole yeller…..The Darwin Holt incident happened in Birmingham, not Atlanta, but I do remember Bama fans being obnoxious in Atlanta. I have been to Athens, Chapel Hill (so-so), Auburn (so-so), Knoxville (moderately bad, but not terrible), VT (OK, I guess, but that was the year of the “lightning bowl”, and everybody got screwed), Clemson (good), and Notre Dame (surprisingly excellent)
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:46 pm
I also went to LA for a USC – Tech game and had no problems there either.
Reformed Toady
October 23rd, 2012
9:46 pm
BYU fan, vote how you please. Tech fans are cordial and welcome everyone. Enjoy the game. I hope to see more than one BYU fan at the game. What’s great about Tech fans is they police themselves. Go Jackets!
Jim G
October 23rd, 2012
9:46 pm
Ken, I’m a big Orwin Smith fan. On Saturday it looked like he might be hurt. Any news about his health?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:47 pm
Actually, the USC fans were pretty cool. Tech lost, but Charlie Dudish put on one helluva display, and the SC cheerleaders led the fans in a “Dudish, RAH!!!” cheer. I was stunned.
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
9:49 pm
Sorry, Super. I must have been thinking of Ted Davis kicking someones head.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:51 pm
@ ole yeller…..Ted Davis played for Tech
Bill from Dacusville
October 23rd, 2012
9:51 pm
Fire Pitiful Paul and hire Bobby Valentine—-Or Ozzie Guillen-whoever–anybody
OldSchool
October 23rd, 2012
9:54 pm
I have gotten 4 FREE tickets to the UGA-Tech game in Athens every other year for over 25 years. Six years ago my wife said she would never, ever go back, free tickets or not. She simply had her fill of rude, obnoxious, arrogant, intoxicated UGA fans who—well, you get the picture. As another Tech fan noted, we have been to games at Clemson, Auburn, and Virginia Tech, to name a few, and have never suffered anywhere near the kind of abuse that we have received in Athens.
Are fans at Tech home games immune to such behavior. No, in fact, my wife cussed out a so-called Yellow Jacket fan after the Miami last month for making a totally uncalled for comment to a friend who was wearing Miami colors. Her exact words were: “Put on Red and Black and go to Athens where you belong!”
So yes, every school has fans who exhibit abhorent behavior. There is just a much, much greater percentage of such idiots in Athens. Emphasis on “percentage,” not total numbers.
As for me, I’ll be in Athens on Nov. 24th, just as I have been there every even year since 1962 when I went to the game as a Boy Scout usher. I’ll tune out the idiots and cheer for the Jackets, just as I have been doing for 50 years.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:55 pm
@ OldSchool…….good for you. I admire your courage. LOL
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
9:56 pm
Exactly, it happened. Just saying, got a little confused with who kicked who and when. Davis did kick someone in the head and was thrown out of the game.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
9:59 pm
@ ole yeller……gotcha. Do you remember Herschel kicking a Tech player in the head on the sideline late in the game one year in Atlanta?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:01 pm
@ ole yeller……and referring to the Darwin Holt incident, he didn’t kick Chik Granning; he leveled him with both arms locked to the jaw on, if memory serves me right, a fair catch punt.
Michael Veli a.k.a Jim Donnan's financial adviso
October 23rd, 2012
10:09 pm
Looking forward to saturday and a fresh start! As for going to Athens for games i love it, the sight of mullets and acid washed jeans amuses me!
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
10:10 pm
Like I said I remember a kick to the head by Ted Davis. I Remember the Holt deal there was a vicious forearm involved while on the ground, it was on the sidelines, No I do not remember anything about Hershel Walker kicking anyone. Could have happened, but I separate Walker from the other backs UGA recruits. Any one out there remember the facts? Please respond. A forearm to the jaw was involved. I will yield if I am incorrect, but I saw it.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:13 pm
@ ole yeller……I don’t think Granning was on the ground or on the sideline when it happened, but it was a vicious forearm by Holt to Granning’s face. I’ll see if I can Google it
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:16 pm
@ ole yeller…..this was the take on it by an Alabama sportswriter…….
We were playing Tech in Birmingham. There were no hard feelings beforehand. I remember Alice Dodd came up to me before the game, and we visited. Anyway, in the fourth quarter Holt was dropping back on a punt. His assignment was to take the end out. Graning was the end, and when they came together Holt reared up and hit Graning with his elbow. The official had his back on the play and didn’t see it. I didn’t see it until I looked at the films. Actually we complained on the play, because Billy Richardson was interfered with catching the punt.
Well, it wouldn’t happen once in 15,000 times, because he didn’t hit him hard enough, but the elbow got through Graning’s face guard and fractured his jaw. After the game Tonto Coleman of Tech, Dodd’s assistant, came over to our dressing room to congratulate our boys, and he said something about Graning being hurt, and I called Holt over, and he said, “Yessir, coach, I’m sorry. I made a mistake,” or something. Well, the next night, after our TV program, I went to New Orleans on Sugar Bowl business, and I still didn’t know Graning was hurt seriously.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:20 pm
@ ole yeller …… Check out this update on the incident from a neutral writer writing about it in 2008 —-
http://www.concordiasentinel.com/news.php?id=2129
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
10:24 pm
I yield, but I also looked it up. It was after the play was over. It was a cheap shot pal. You now a Bama fan?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:25 pm
Hell, no. Like I said, the first thing I posted was written by a Bama fan. The link I posted tells the true story. I would like to read the original article by Bisher or Outlar; I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. One of few times in AJC history, where the writers actually stood up for Tech.
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
10:28 pm
The true story was it was a cheap shot. I read your link. The play was over.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:29 pm
Yep. But Bear never even acknowledged it. I think that link said he apologized for it, but my memory of it is that he didn’t even do that.
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
10:31 pm
Super, enough of the past. Let us kick A—z the rest of the season. Hope to see you Saturday.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:33 pm
@ ole yeller……I will be there. Come by the tailgate spot again. There should be a bunch of us there. GO JACKETS !!!!
ole yeller
October 23rd, 2012
10:34 pm
Back at you pal. Go you HAIRY JACKETS.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 23rd, 2012
10:35 pm
I’m outta here. Have a good night, all
yeller bug
October 23rd, 2012
10:38 pm
There was commentary earlier on CPJ’s leadership style. There are General Lee’s and General Jackson’s of the world—both were great generals and they were miles apart in terms of style. Lee was loved, Jackson was feared and respected. Both delivered results. The head coach should lead as his natural personality suits. Subordinates should adjust their style to counterbalance the head coach. CMR is more a “General Lee” and should have an assistant coach to be the disciplinarian. CPJ is more like Jackson and his assistants should be more positive and encouraging. Having complementary leadership styles among coaches produces the best results.
Michael Veli a.k.a Jim Donnan's financial adviso
October 23rd, 2012
10:43 pm
Very well said yeller bug, a deep insight with truth.
BYU Fan in FL
October 23rd, 2012
10:47 pm
Should be a fun game from what I can tell….If our QB can hang on to the ball he is pretty dangerous but very turnover prone. So its a toss up on which one shows up….literally a bad read away from beating ND in South Bend, had a dude wide open late in the 4th quarter. How are your corners? b/c BYU has some big boys playing widout 6′3 and 6′4
BYU Fan in FL
October 23rd, 2012
10:56 pm
@ GT FAN
Skied last christmas in Mammoth CA, Parents live about 4 hours south of there havent been up the canyon to SB and Alta since 08….little misplaced for now but will hopefully fix that and get to some mountains at some point….grew up all my life by them in Cali.
Birmingham Jacket
October 23rd, 2012
11:21 pm
Johnson needs to step down and let Tech have a future!
1 4 GT
October 23rd, 2012
11:51 pm
Saw a clip of CPJ interview on TV news a short time ago. Re the non active roster guys “partying” on the sidelines….CPJ said they had a “Come to Jesus” about it. LOL….love to have been a fly on the wall for that meeting.
UGA = Yawn
October 24th, 2012
8:13 am
Seems like Laskey should be player of the game for Boston College.
Phys67
October 24th, 2012
9:09 am
Enter your comments here
Phys67
October 24th, 2012
9:11 am
Very well said Supersize…Agree completely…you couldn’t pay me to go to Athens for a game…my last trip over there was in the 70’s and it was bad then….
gt4ever
October 24th, 2012
9:55 am
One of the few Blue chip players on this squad and the coach is not on the same page….. Yikes… This coach is priceless!
GT Joe
October 24th, 2012
10:25 am
How is it that Days, in his 3rd year at GT, and Lee, in his 2nd year, aren’t “on the same page” or aren’t “making the reads” yet?
Either one of 3 things:
1. Players can’t learn or refuse to learn (doubtful).
2. Coach can’t teach (doubtful).
3. Coach doesn’t feel the players are being good, obedient little soldiers (likely).
I wonder if CPJ’s style would survive in the NFL? uhhh….no.
GT Joe
October 24th, 2012
10:28 am
CPJ’s style works perfectly in HS, ga southern, and Navy; the kids realize that they aren’t going to the NFL, less talented, so they play with more heart.
When you get to big boy football (BCS conferences) and NFL level, the players need a different type of style. Hard nose doesn’t work. There are other options for players (transfers, trades, etc.). They don’t NEED to be there.
I guarantee you that Days and Lee have seriously contemplated transferring.
GT Joe
October 24th, 2012
10:35 am
Oh, and the folks saying “would you rather have a softy like Richt?”:
Umm look at his record. I’ll take a softy if we can average 10 wins a year. Richt gets it. Being a tough guy all the time, teaching kids lessons by not playing them, it’s a stupid mind game. It’s not coach vs. player. It’s coach AND player.
What CPJ fails to understand is that running the offense to perfection is required at Navy and GS because of the lower athleticism level. At THIS level, athleticism can make up for a lack of perfection, AND WIN YOU MORE GAMES.
5150 UOAD
October 24th, 2012
10:47 am
GT JOE……Richt had most of his WIN against the bad SEC teams. Richt doesn’t have to do MUCH to get really good recruits. UGa has more talent than 80% of the teams they play every year. Winning at UGa is not that hard. Winning the EAST or the SEC Title is and Richt sucks at that.
Coach Z
October 24th, 2012
10:54 am
I wonder GT JOE if you are more about winning on the field than winning in life. No I am not embodying Charlie Sheen, but I do feel like saying CPJ is trying to teach kids to be men. Yes, in all aspects of live, not just on the football field. With most of your points, GT JOE, I agree. However, on the topic of CPJ as a teacher/coach we disagree.
GT Joe
October 24th, 2012
10:57 am
UOAD: To start with, Richt is smart enough to put his best athletes on the field. Maybe if they were better coached, they could win some NCs.
CPJ doesn’t put his best athletes on the field in the first place. He puts in the guys that make the least mistakes, regardless of the outcome of the mistakes. Wrong philosophy.
For example, he’d rather play Tevin than Vad because Tevin make less “read mistakes”, but he doesn’t care about turnovers, INTs, and EXECUTION mistakes (underthrown passes, etc.), where Vad has no such mistakes and Tevin has many.
Backwards thinking.
Coach Z
October 24th, 2012
10:57 am
@1 4 GT. I’ve had a couple come to Jesus moments with collegues at all levels in life. Those momoents were odd and humiliating at the time, but after the dust settled a better respect for the job was instilled. We shall see.
GT Joe
October 24th, 2012
11:03 am
Coach Z: CPJ is graded on one thing: winning on the field. This IS all that matters; has an AD ever fired a coach because of what his players became after graduation? No. Conversely, has an AD ever kept a losing coach because he was a good mentor to the kids? No. Al Groh’s firing proves me right.
1 4 GT
October 24th, 2012
11:26 am
Coach Z…..Yeah, I’ve been in those meetings myself, on both sides, & in most cases, by far, all came out better for it. Joe loves to sling hash. He probably has never spanked his children, if he has any. Like so many nowadays, these kids need discipline & leadership in their lives if they are to grow into good, productive, contributing, responsible MEN. Timeouts teach a youngster nothing. This is much like physics. For every action, there is an equal & opposite reaction. Same in life. Discipline begets responsibility. Selah.
BYU Fan in FL
October 24th, 2012
11:34 am
From my perspective you guys have the “growing pain” of a new system even though it isnt that new. That is what Bronco (BYU Coach) went through his first couple of years. Once he got everyone on the same page program wise kids know what to expect. Not to mention some of the are pretty good. 5 out of 7 10 win seasons to show for it. Alot to be said for philosophy buy in. But it all goes back to the kind of kid you recruit BYU has a very small window they look at for obvious reasons….hence national championships will be very hard to come buy…good teams but not elite
1 4 GT
October 24th, 2012
11:39 am
GT Joe, I don’t believe, went to Tech. He does not come across as one that graduated from Tech. If he did, he either didn’t learn, or has forgotten, the Tech way. GT still operates under the “Total Person Concept”. That should be self explanatory. Tech succeeds, as do Tech people, with integrity and responsibility and doing things the right way, something my Dad began instilling in his 3 sons at a very young age. Joe’s way apparently does not. His rants here say otherwise, at least to me. I know nothing about Joe except what I see him saying here. Nor do I want to know anything more of Joe. In fact, I would just as soon he had never made his appearance here. He should fit in very well on the Georgie blogs.
1 4 GT
October 24th, 2012
11:40 am
Much the same here BYU in Fl!!
BYU Fan in FL
October 24th, 2012
11:44 am
My question to you then is does he not have the kind of kids he needs or he does and they think they are better than the system? Fatal flaw either way.
Paddy
October 24th, 2012
12:02 pm
GT@ 1736……if you have talent but don’t perform in practice you will not be playing on most teams not just GT. And being a ‘players coach’ is way over-rated imho. Both styles have worked well over the years.