Johnson faces Lee-Washington decision
More and more is becoming clear about Georgia Tech. Less and less of it offers hope.
The next (and perhaps last) attempt at salvaging the season could be the elevation of backup quarterback Vad Lee to the starting spot. Coach Paul Johnson has been insistent in his defense of Tevin Washington, saying that he isn’t the problem, but removed him from Saturday’s 41-17 loss to BYU late in the third quarter after a costly interception.
“I intended to let (Lee) play some and I kept thinking that we would try to get some rhythm or whatever, and it just became apparent that it wasn’t working the other way, so we needed to put him in and let him play,” Johnson said.
It ran against Johnson’s past philosophy regarding Lee. In other losses when Tech has been behind or caught in a shootout, Johnson has stayed with Washington, feeling that he gave the Yellow Jackets the best chance to win. He has deflected calls for Lee to play more by noting that the most popular player on the team is often the backup quarterback and that Lee hadn’t been practicing well enough to merit playing time.
However, asked about a possible change for Saturday’s game at Maryland, Johnson said “we’ll see.” Tech is now 3-5, the first time it has been under .500 after eight games since 1994, the final year of coach Bill Lewis’ failed tenure.
“I’ve just been trying to go out in practice every day, just playing my game, just staying focused on the task at hand, just staying inside my role,” Lee said. “I try to lift everyone up in practice and the game.”
Lee did seem to give the Jackets a jolt of energy Saturday, leading the Tech offense to its only score of the game, a 70-yard drive that was aided by 37 yards of BYU penalties and ended with a field goal.
Center Jay Finch said that Lee “preaches good energy.”
After the field goal, Lee led two final drives with the game out of reach. Tech went 3-and-out and then punted after gaining one first down. Saturday, Tech’s problems clearly stretched far beyond Washington.
“I’ve got to get a lot better as well,” Lee said. “Nothing’s going to be handed to me, as we already know. I’m just working and, now after that tough loss, I’ve got to work times two.”
Washington has started every game at quarterback since replacing the injured Joshua Nesbitt midway through the Virginia Tech game in Nov. 2010,, a streak of 25 games. A fifth-year senior and a team captain, he has largely played effectively this season – Tech entered the game third in the country in rushing offense and 15th in total offense – but has made errors at critical junctures of games.
Asked last week how he could improve, Johnson said that Washington “hasn’t had a ton of errors, they’ve just come at inopportune times, and we really need to cut down on that for a guy that’s played as much as he has.”
Tech’s next opponent doesn’t look particularly receptive for either quarterback or an offense that failed to make a first down on 10 third downs Saturday, the first time the Jackets went without a third-down conversion in a game since a 33-0 loss to North Carolina in 1980.
Maryland may be down to its fourth-string quarterback and lost Saturday to the same Boston College team that the Jackets trounced Oct. 20, but the Terrapins play defense as stingily as the Cougars.
Under first-year defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, Maryland is ranked No. 4 in rushing defense, No. 7 in total defense and No. 28 in scoring defense. The defense’s centerpiece is defensive end Joe Vellano, who recorded 20 tackles in Tech’s 21-16 win in 2011 and this season is averaging 1.8 tackles for loss per game, tied for ninth in the country.
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
155 comments Add your comment
Georgia Cracker
October 29th, 2012
7:04 am
Is GT a Georgia school? Looks like some International school if you look at the students. why isn’t GT a Georgia school? Georgia supports it.
ngaterp
October 29th, 2012
7:50 am
MD just reported it lost it’s fourth QB for the year with an injury; Rowe tore his ACL in BC game. GT will now be facing a kid recruited to play LB; true freshman Shawn Petty.
tired from all the frustrations of being a yellow jacket
October 29th, 2012
8:06 am
I am a fervent GT fan and have been for many years. This team, as a team, heartily deserve the boos they got Saturday. When I see a player and team laying down and not flying to the ball and trying to arm tackle, and making bonehead plays, I WILL BOO THEIR asses-just as I cheer my head off for great plays and even decent plays. that is what is wrong with this country today-nobody is responsible for their crappy decisions and lifestyle. You who cry don’t hurt their little feelings make me sick. Never forget, the coaches are not making tackles nor missing their assignments. The players on this years team have let their coaches down and the fans down who support them with their dollars and time and heart. this is a team who johnson said at the beginning of the year had the sky as a limit. After the loss with VT and Miami, they quit –plain and simple. they quit!!! No Mas!
Jmonty
October 29th, 2012
8:15 am
I give up…. This season is a wash. CPJ should put Vad in to get experience for next year. Maybe they can hire someone that knows what defense is in that time. CPJ needs to get his tail out from between his legs and realize that when things aren’t working you need to change them. It’s sad to look like you are always being out coached. But, that has been the case as of late. Nobody repects tech “D” and for good reason. The “D” sucks… It has got to be one of the worst in the nation. I see an end to GT’s bowl streak. Oh well… it was nice, while it lasted. But, hey…. that’s ok. CPJ would just lose that one too anyways.
Coach Gailey
October 29th, 2012
8:29 am
Bet y’all miss me and my recruits now!
Freddie Blassie
October 29th, 2012
8:46 am
For $40 to get in the place, I will boo any time I want to boo and I will yell “coward” any time I see a quarterback slide rather than take on a tackler.
Broom CE '82
October 29th, 2012
8:58 am
Tech fans are a pretty patient bunch, so when we get upset it is usually warranted. Our offense is a shadow of what it was two years ago. Tevin Washington does not have the talent or the instinct to run the option, and he certainly has no ability to throw the football when necessary. Other than that, he’s a pretty good quarterback.
Stalin's Ghost
October 29th, 2012
9:27 am
the problems with this team run much deeper than who starts at quarterback.
don’t bench the Senior in a pathetic attempt to deflect from the bigger truth
Johnson is in over his head.
Veteran Fan
October 29th, 2012
9:32 am
Obviously some of you do not remember one of our noblest traditions! We never boo the Yellow Jackets no matter what they do! I believe some of you were booing the coach’s decision to play Tevin and that should be the limit of it! The last couple of games with Gailey’s teams there were some boos and we reminded everyone that this isn’t uga where they do it on a regular basis when they have a bad series. We have a very young team and we got beat by a very good team Saturday. We all need to remember that before the season began we were all saying that next year would be our year because of our youth and the difficult September schedule would be difficult to survive! Well it bit us and we need to finish strong and support the team! These games are the ones that test who the true fans are and we must pass that test! Grant Field was rocking when we scored off the interception and the kickoff return and I believe that a majority of our fans are behind the team win or lose! I will renew my season tickets, because there is no place better than being in Grant Field on a beautiful fall afternoon in Atlanta and watching my Yellow Jackets play football! Some days are just better than others.
One down, one to go
October 29th, 2012
9:41 am
Groh’s gone and now we have one more to get rid of. Johnson is a poor recruiter and in this day and age of college football one needs to be an excellent recruiter when you have Auburn and Bama on the left. UGa, Clemson & SCe on the right, UT to the north and all three Florida schools in the south.
Johnson’s time has come and gone. It’s time to go out and pay money for a great coach if this institution is serious about competiting in football! If not, stay with Johnson even though it would be a shame with the tradition GT has in football.
james
October 29th, 2012
9:45 am
Tevin should not have been booed,Paul Johnson should have never been hired.
Freddie Blassie
October 29th, 2012
9:48 am
Booooooooo.
Brian
October 29th, 2012
10:22 am
I don’t believe PJ gets 8 figures at the end of next season. His contract is up at the end of 2015 so after next year there are only 2 years left on his contract which I think equates to about a 4.5m buyout. That’s still steep, but not 8 figures steep.
If we have a losing season next year and see a lot more UGA fans at the UGA game than Tech fans like we did in Gailey’s final season then that will be it for PJ. I’m guessing that DRad will have trouble a lot of trouble selling tickets next year and at the end of the day that is what matters.
DRad probably needs to go too, his decision to extend PJ’s contract after just one season and not wait to see what he could do with his own recruits showed very poor decision making skills and will cost Tech several million dollars.
GT Joe
October 29th, 2012
10:27 am
Which pass of Vad’s was bad? The one where he was about to get sacked and threw it off his back foot while going down, near the goal line?
That’s hardly a bad pass. Refer to Tevin’s last two passes of his career if you want to see bad passes.
GT Joe
October 29th, 2012
10:41 am
Regarding the scholarships and taxes: The Tharpe and Tech funds pay for some of the scholarships, but not all. ~25% to be exact:
http://development.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/Athletics-Endowment-2010.pdf
The rest? funded by the school, which is funded by the state, which is funded by taxpayers.
Even for the Tharpe and Tech Funds, that money comes from alumni/donors. So if you ask me, these adults need to answer to the taxpayers, alumni, and donors.
ahsoisee
October 29th, 2012
10:54 am
Decision? What decision? Does anyone have a toddler at home that they can send to Tech to tell Paul Johnson the correct decision? Duh? No wonder Tech is in such a bad fix, PJ has lost the ability to make correct decisions.
Just A Comment
October 29th, 2012
10:57 am
You do not boo a wheelchair bound athlete for losing the 100 meter dash. Same with Tevin. He has limited skill set and works hard to maximize his productivity. That being said he has a weak arm and is very inaccurate on his passes. Needing to pass to come back why was he playing in the first place? The disdain belongs to a supposed Coach who places his players consistantly in positions and situations to fail because of his own hard headedness. Thin line between strong will and stupidly bull headed and we have a Coach over that line. 3-5 seems like an end to a 5th year senior career and time to see if others have potential. Sports is cruel and is about today not yesterday.
GT Joe
October 29th, 2012
11:05 am
Yep, that’s what we need, a kinder, gentler sport!
No more booing!
And PLEASE don’t boo the refs! They are trying to do their jobs as well as possible, just like Tevin. And the refs have families too. What if your son was a ref and was booed? wouldn’t it hurt your heart? LOL.
What a joke.
Tech Man
October 29th, 2012
11:30 am
CPJ won’t hire an offensive coordinator, his ego is too big.
hedgepruner
October 29th, 2012
11:32 am
I agree its been a tough year but as one commenter mentioned we all knew that we were in a rebuilding year and the early frontloaded ACC matchups with VT & Miami could have & did go the wrong way which set the tone for the whole season, with that said I think CPJ will start Vad Lee in this weeks game against Maryland and also other inexperienced players for developing next years team.
No more Booing !
But on another note “next Season” we need to see “VAST” improvement over 2012 and if not then we need to seriously consider letting CPJ go , most of our faithful fan base can tolerate a few rebuilding seasons and a few losses to the mutts but seriously we should be able to recruit good enough players in the recruiting hot bed of the South to play at a higher level year after year .
And Rad can also be replaced as far as I am concerned ….THWG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO JACKETS & finish STRONG !!!!!!!!
Buzz2011
October 29th, 2012
12:55 pm
The Vad era has started! Soon the Dawgs will get a taste and they won’t like it!
He will not be a three interception passer such as what Dogs employ. Passing and
running and running and passing.. The ACC will love it…
Uh, GT Joe...
October 29th, 2012
12:57 pm
…thanks for the info on the Tharpe Fund and the associated tag – now, go learn what “endowed” scholarship means and you will see that your comment about taxpayers paying for “athletic” scholarships is just wrong…the Funds (Tharpe and Tech) are more than just “endowed” scholarship money – D’OH…
AMG
October 29th, 2012
1:02 pm
I was booing TW and CJ because it was soooooo apparent that TW is not only not getting it done, but that against decent Ds he panics and makes bad decisions. He is not as good of an athlete and his leadership is way, way worse than VL. VL looks confident and backs it up with his play. TW makes more “freshman” mistakes per game than VL has made all season long.
That being said, this game was not lost by TW, the offense was horrible and I think everyone knew the D would not “run faster”. We need to hire a better DC in the off season, someone young with a lot of passion and energy. Let VL develop this year, make next season hopeful. No reason not to give him 4 games to really be ready to lead this team.
Next year we have plenty of talent (we do this year as well) and the odds are with the right DC we could be very dangerous team. Lets focus on getting there now. We will beat Maryland and the others are great games to prepare our young team for next year.
AMG
October 29th, 2012
1:10 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1387457-georgia-tech-football-5-reasons-to-keep-paul-johnson/page/6
10 Million buy out . . .
GT Joe
October 29th, 2012
1:14 pm
Nameless: go grow some nuts and create a handle you blathering fool. Then we can talk. buh bye.
GT Joe
October 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
GT offense under Tevin this year:
#42 in offensive points per game.
Against the #76 schedule.
So much for the “we score enough points to win” argument, eh?
GTfan2012
October 29th, 2012
1:46 pm
It is definitely time to start Vad Lee. I wish we weren’t doing it on the road, but rather at home following a bye week against BC… but that opportunity is gone now. Tevin just hasn’t made the plays. We need a QB that can throw the ball on 3rd down when necessary. Vad made some major throws this season already in limited action.
Al Bundy
October 29th, 2012
1:49 pm
I can’t believe we are talking about booing and not booing. If you can’t handle booing from the fans you need to go play some sissy sport like Soccer or Figure Skating. Football is a man’s sport and real men can handle some boos!
GTfan2012
October 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
I want CPJ to keep his job. I believe he is a good coach, and I think our offensive system is good for GT in the current landscape of college football. However, I will caveat this by saying that I believe there is one person who I would hire as HC of GT tomorrow if he would come here, Ken Wisenhunt. I actually openly rooting for Arizona to tank the rest of this season and for Wisenhunt to get fired. I think it would be a rebuilding job, but I think Wisenhunt is well liked and could put together a great staff (George Godsey as OC?). Do I think this is likely to happen, No. Do I think the likelihood of this happening increases with the DRad departure, yes.
Tommy
October 29th, 2012
2:04 pm
Coach Paul Johnson will return for the 2013 season. Let’s hope he hires top notch defensive and offensive coordinators!
G.P. Burdell
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
I thought CPJ should have made Lee the starter after the Miami Game and for sure after the MTSU disaster. Why? not because Tevin is bad or Vad was better but because at that point the season was a wash and Washington won’t be here next year, Lee will. CPJ has said that Vad has more raw talent than Tevin and the only reason Tevin was starting was because of his experience, well here is your chance to give your undisputed starter for next year that experience he needs, otherwise we start off next year right where we left off.
Bobby Jones
October 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
CPJ not going anywhere, this year or next or the next. AA doesn’t have the $$$ to buy his contract,
GTCraig
October 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
I want to see all 3 QBs out there at the same time. Running 2 A-backs and a QB spot. Then they could play action everything..
Bobcat
October 29th, 2012
2:33 pm
Tech Math—BYU = BYE + CPJ
Silly Mutts
October 29th, 2012
2:39 pm
Paul Johnson will be fired at the end of the season. Period. If Gt wants to have any fans in the stands then Paul Johnson will be fired. There will be a new AD who will hire the right coach for this program. Mark it down!
Silly Mutts
October 29th, 2012
2:40 pm
Oh and GT Joe……….VAD LEE SUCKS!!!!!! He couldn’t play anywhere in the country in D1 as a starter (except Maryland) get over it!
The Dulous, '70
October 29th, 2012
3:08 pm
Look at it like this…..Tech is a second tier team in a second tier conference. Do you really think Tech could beat Kentucky, Vandy, or Ole Miss right now? Duke will be the final chapter to the CPJ era….never mind what will happen in Athens this year. I WILL NOT WATCH THE SLAUGHTER ANY MORE. SAD, SAD, SAD.
Uh silly mutts...
October 29th, 2012
3:13 pm
YOU suck! yo momma’s toes…
Looking hard for that bright spot.....
October 29th, 2012
3:17 pm
“Lee did seem to give the Jackets a jolt of energy Saturday, leading the Tech offense to its only score of the game, a 70-yard drive that was aided by 37 yards of BYU penalties and ended with a field goal.”
So in other words, that “jolt of energy” resulted in 33 yards of measurable offense which led to a field goal.
It’s that bad.
It really is.
treyisgeorgia
October 29th, 2012
3:47 pm
…3-5 and playing a Maryland team down to its 5th string QB who was recruited as a LB. Guys try and complete a Pass, you know throw the football in a forward fashion. That is something teams do now in 2012. Oh and another thing you really need to get rid of that high school offense before it sets you back any further. It’s costing you recruits left and right as Johnson has brought in nothing more than a glorified 1-AA team.
treyisgeorgia
October 29th, 2012
3:51 pm
…and another thing if you guys had the right coach you might actually be able to field a team and win on a consistent basis. Don’t give me the Academics crap cause Stanford is doing just fine and their requirements are just as tough if not tougher and they have no issues fielding a quality team. Did you realize that Stanford had I think 8-11 Georgians on their roster this year that could have been recruited to Tech. GET A COACH THAT DOESN’T PLAY A GIMMICK OFFENSE AND YOU MIGHT AMOUNT TO SOMETHING.
GTFan
October 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
Are we seriously complaining about TW getting booed? HE SUCKED, AND HALF THE PLAYS SUCKED!!! I pay lots of money for my season tickets, and I am tired of seeing garbage with my team. TW deserved every boo he got. Get over it!!!! He sucks, and he knows it. The only reason he is still QB is because it’s his last season. If we want to win our last 3 ACC conference games we need Vad Lee.
GTFan
October 29th, 2012
4:29 pm
Silly Mutts
October 29th, 2012
2:40 pm
Oh and GT Joe……….VAD LEE SUCKS!!!!!! He couldn’t play anywhere in the country in D1 as a starter (except Maryland) get over it!
You must be smoking? Vad Lee is awesome!!!
fuzzybee
October 29th, 2012
4:37 pm
Tevin makes some terrible decisions, both to pass or to keep. Rarely does he make a bad decision to toss. That said, the offense has not been working well for several games. The opposing teams are penetrating and pursuing which blows up the plays. Tevin has to either dive or toss to a covered back. He is under duress so the 3rd option (pass) is never considered. I don’t think any quarterback is going to be successful until we can run the ball successfully again.
Bad Dawg, Bad Dawg
October 29th, 2012
4:53 pm
OK this is to both Obama supporters and Tech faithful. Be careful of moving lips, the numbers don’t lie. 8 games into a season with a 5th year QB and supposedly the “best offensive line I’ve seen in a long time”, or something close. Your offense didn’t produce any points against an unranked BYU. You were smashed by Middle Big Orange and are 1-4 against VT and Miami and soon to be 1-4 against UGA AND 0-4 in bowl games under the mystery of the triple option wizardary. Will be even an underdog to Duke this year. Oh….last time I looked “HOPE” produced GDP of 2% yet it’s all about the “FUTURE”. Bench Washington, this is not Upward.
Beat UGA
October 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Lets drop football, spend the money on the robotics club!
TechApp fan
October 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Johnson keeps talking about poor reads. So unless he makes a decision to minimize the need for the QB to make so many quick “reads”, does it matter who is QB? One is slow and makes (according to bloggers) poor decisions. The other is not slow and can throw a “pretty”pass (does pretty count?) but if he must run the option (even though his has little experience), will Tech be any better? This blogger hopes Johnson does not make Lee look like a poor “reader” by making him often attempt to do something he seems to not have mastered.
So What
October 29th, 2012
5:46 pm
This is going to take a long time to straighten out unless we hire a genius who puts everything back together fast. I think it will take several years to get straightened out. It could take 6/8 years.
Silly Mutts
October 29th, 2012
6:12 pm
Fire PAUL JOHNSON!!!! or become the doormats of the ACC (already there?). UGA and Mark Richt are laughing!!!! laughing and laughing!!!!
unch
October 29th, 2012
6:43 pm
Rumors from the ‘boro–Johnson to come back and take Ga Southern’s AD job. In that case, some of the good option players would transfer to Ga Southern.