Washington, Lee keep relationship smooth
Paul Johnson has been around long enough to have witnessed starter-backup relationships worthy of a bad reality show.
“I’ve seen older guys who wouldn’t offer to help the younger guys with any kind of advice or any kind of help,” he said. “You’ve seen it all through the years.”
The Georgia Tech coach has his share of problems this season. As fan and media attention is trained on starting quarterback Tevin Washington and backup Vad Lee, at least one headache he doesn’t have is tension between the two.
“As bad as things have gotten for ‘Tev’ and how people are, ‘Oh, he’s not doing this,’ he’s still trying his best to help Vad and he’s trying to help Vad prepare,” B-back David Sims said. “And, Vad, he tries to help give (Washington) tips, as well.”
As Tech prepares to play Maryland Saturday, Washington and Lee are competing in practice for the starting job against the Terrapins. Both players have worked with the first- and second strings. It is a shakeup of the order that has held firm since Washington became the starter in the 10th game of the 2010 season. He replaced Joshua Nesbitt after he broke his arm against Virginia Tech. Washington has started the past 25 consecutive games and been unchallenged.
The season has been a tumultuous ride. Washington is statistically improved and he is operating the No. 28 scoring offense in the country, but the Yellow Jackets are 3-5. Against BYU Saturday, Washington failed to lead the offense to points and was replaced by Lee late in the third quarter. Johnson, who has been trying to find snaps for the promising redshirt freshman, had hoped the offense would first find its rhythm with Washington, but said “it just became apparent that it wasn’t working” with Washington.
Boos, perhaps directed at Johnson, pelted Washington and the offense as they left the field following an interception by the senior. Lee took the field to cheers that only grew with each successive advancement.
On his first drive, Lee led Tech to a field goal before the Jackets punted on their final two possessions of the 41-17 loss. After Wednesday’s practice, Johnson said the decision on a starter will be made after the week of practice ends Thursday.
“I’ll make one by the time we play,” Johnson said.
The drama has not managed to ruffle either, at least outwardly.
“I’ve sat in a lot of meetings with them and watched ’em practice and I think they pull for each other,” Johnson said. “I don’t think there’s any animosity there.”
Lee is no Machiavellian schemer, plotting his advancement.
“I’m not a fan of (the booing) because he works hard every day,” said Lee, who sits next to Washington in position meetings. “He comes to practice and gives his all. In the games, he gives his all.”
Washington, who had to wait 2 ½ years before he got his turn, understands Lee’s plight.
“I was there in his shoes four years ago, too,” Washington said. “I know how he feels being the backup. I know how he wants to play. I’ve been there. I know exactly how he feels.”
With three years separating the two, they are closer with their peers than each other, but get along without problem. Washington said that Lee knows he can come to him with questions about anything, football or otherwise. Washington, who has interned at a law firm the past two years, counseled Lee this summer on networking with Tech alumni and seeking internships.
“They’re great kids,” quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said. “They really are. There’s not a mean bone in either one of their bodies.”
Sims, a former quarterback who shares Bohannon and meetings with the quarterbacks, compares the two to a more famous set of quarterbacks.
“It’s still been a pretty positive relationship, sorta kinda like how (Tim) Tebow and (Mark) Sanchez say they deal with each other,” Sims said, referring to the New York Jets’ ballyhooed tandem. “But it’s actual reality with us.”
In case you missed it…
Tech scrambling to prepare for Maryland QB
On Tech ending its kick-return drought
Johnson says it’s not time to panic
Heisman biography offers revealing history
Notes: B-backs struggling to produce
Notes: Johnson mum on starting quarterback
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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79 comments Add your comment
www
November 1st, 2012
11:06 am
from the article posted by “vett”
“Georgia Tech is a phenomenal place with spectacular athletes who deserve the marketing and promotion techniques that some of the top football programs in the nation receive.”
we’ll have to wait and see if the georgia tech administration and new AD actually believe this.
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
11:07 am
www: sorry, is there something you disagree with in that quote?
www
November 1st, 2012
11:11 am
@ TML
Randy Shannon as DC/chief recruiter for the state of florida? i like that idea a lot.
now who could tech find to be OC?
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
11:20 am
juvenal: also, never boo refs. They get paid less than the players AND they are somebody’s “Kids”.
www
November 1st, 2012
11:31 am
i bet gtjoe is a real fun guy to hang out with in real life, lol. lots of friends, no doubt.
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
11:36 am
www, debate must not be your cup of tea. A man must know his limitations…
5150 UOAD
November 1st, 2012
11:39 am
Orwin Smith
Nobody is perfect. We don’t make the right choices but never let your mistakes dictate where you wanna go far as occupation, relationships or just life. Never give up on your plans/goals no matter if 95% of the world is against you. Long as you have that 5% believing in you then you’ll be fine!
==========================
be a good fan and back these players. they are still working hard and deserve good fans to support their efforts.
5150 UOAD
November 1st, 2012
11:40 am
T.j. Barnes
I have a month and some change left here….. Making the best of it.
www
November 1st, 2012
11:43 am
Don’t argue with idiots because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. —Greg King
oh hi, joe. how’s it going down there?
G-Money
November 1st, 2012
12:08 pm
GT JOE- Fair enough on the “Offensive” Ponts
MiamiJacket
November 1st, 2012
12:28 pm
The bottom line is that a QB and the head coach are ultimately going to be judged by wins and losses. Tevin is 5-10 in his last 15 starts for Tech and the 5 wins came against Presbyterian, BC, Virginia, Duke, and Clemson. He hasn’t beat anybody who is any good at all with the exception of Clemson last year. It’s time for a change to see what Lee can do.
Born2Buzz
November 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
Ken, if you can, let Tevin know the boos were not directed at him but at CPJ for not having Vad in already. I didn’t boo myself but I sure heard them.
Something in this article says a lot to the problems this team has…“They’re great kids,” quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said. “They really are. There’s not a mean bone in either one of their bodies.” Somebody needs to get a killer instinct. You can be a great kid but you gotta be ready to smash your opponent in the dirt and then kick them when their down. TW has never shown this ability. Vad needs to have it and I think I saw a little of it last Saturday.
www
November 1st, 2012
1:18 pm
another interesting article on chip kelly at oregon.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/stewart_mandel/11/01/chip-kelly-oregon/index.html?eref=twitter_feed
“He runs the best practices I’ve ever seen,” an NFC executive told NFL.com. “I would hire him in a second if I ever had the opportunity.”
i can’t help but wonder how the georgia tech practices compare, but since they are closed i guess i will never know.
Tech Troll 13
November 1st, 2012
1:41 pm
@ GT Joe
Just when I think that I cannot think less of you, you sink to a new low. You questioned the sexuallity of Take The Wheel just because he disagrees with you. That’s good debate skills.
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
1:59 pm
Tech Troll: that was really an inside joke; he has accused me of being the jilted lover of Tevin in the past, and has accused me of fathering Vad.
But who knows, Take the Wheel could BE a female. He/she has female tendencies, that’s for sure.
Grow a sense of humor, sheesh.
Tech Troll 13
November 1st, 2012
2:15 pm
GT Joe
So, you make a bad joke in poor taste, and I’m the one with the problem?
Johnson responds to critics | Georgia Tech
November 1st, 2012
2:26 pm
[...] Washington, Lee keep relationship smooth [...]
1 4 GT
November 1st, 2012
2:37 pm
Vett….and all other bloggers that are real GT fans. The link Vett provided is very interesting. All of us should applaud his statement and hope the admin officials are made aware of this & take the steps needed to rectify this problem. Seems the school is not providing clear info to the students, plus making it to difficult, on how to get game tickets. I urge Vett to push this as hard as he can & maybe get student attendance up.
www
November 1st, 2012
2:48 pm
on an unrelated note, stewart mandel mentions Stephon Tuitt as a future 1st round nfl pick in a recent column on notre dame.
losing him hurt.
a beast at DE would make the rest of the defense look a lot better. let’s hope CPJ and staff are identifying and smartly recruiting the next tuitt now.
i DO wonder if we need to change up the coaching staff a little. is there someone currently on staff who can both recruit and coach up a dominant defensive line?
if not, where can we find that guy/those guys? saban’s staff at alabama seems to have dozens of student assistants and consultants that must have picked up part of “the process”. or raid les miles’ staff at lsu for an up and coming position coach.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/stewart_mandel/10/31/alabama-oregon-kansas-state-notre-dame/index.html
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
2:55 pm
Tech Troll: sorry, I won’t make fun of your boyfriend Take the Wheel ever again.
www
November 1st, 2012
3:02 pm
gtjoe, it’s time to give it a rest. don’t you have something more productive to do with your time?
GT Joe
November 1st, 2012
3:05 pm
Nope. Apparently neither do you.
And although we all appreciate your awesome internet search skills, your articles are really not relevant to Ken’s article.
Tech Troll 13
November 1st, 2012
3:21 pm
GT Joe
Another feeble attempt at humor?
www
November 1st, 2012
4:15 pm
gttroll
1 – did you read the part where i typed “on an unrelated note…”? you have the reading comprehension of a 5th grader.
2 – i actually have plenty to do but when i get a minute i like to know what’s up with the tech football team. you, on the other hand, seem to have no life whatsoever. not just because you spend more time on these blogs than ken suuuira does but also because of how you spend your time. i can only imagine how big a loser you are in real life that you CHOOSE to spend all of your time trolling on here. it says a lot about how little you have going on and what kind of person you are.
3 – did you know that there is a strong link between people who often accuse others of being g@y and latent h0m0sexual urges? not that there’s anything wrong with that. google that connection and learn something about yourself today.
Tech1986
November 1st, 2012
6:50 pm
@www, Stephen Truit’s major is Arts and Letters, last time I checked, we did not have a major like that and at the end of the day, that’s a major problem, not enough majors to get those “beastly” DE that make the defense better.
A-mazed
November 1st, 2012
8:18 pm
GT-Joe
You have, as far as O can tell, a single minded message- “Play Vad”, “Fire Paul”
In the spirit of honest debate, please tell me 2 things.
1) What have you seen, since practice is closed, that indicates to you that Vad is a better QB for this team? I sure have not seen it in any game so far.
2) What coach could GT hire that is proven, with as good a W/L ratio (better, hopefully?) as CPJ? And does it occur to you that at a school with limited resources like GT, that mabe a coach who changes the rules and works outside the box might ultimately be the best solution?
It seems that critical thinking is not in your skillset. Go read your posts. You are clearly a know it all twink who shouts nonsense, then belittles others who call you out.
Vett
November 2nd, 2012
8:38 am
Current GT student perspective on GT Athletics: http://www.rcsoatl.com/2012/11/hopeful-for-change-in-gt-athletics.html
GT Joe
November 2nd, 2012
10:40 am
A-mazed:
1. I have seen Vad in games. I have seen TW in games. It’s clear who is better. If you can’t see it, I can’t help you. I can point out numerous plays and stats to show Vad is better in games. But then you will have your silly comeback like “Vad’s passes are terrible” or “Vad misreads every play”, nothing factual, only subjective arguments.
2. I have never said to fire CPJ UNTIL YESTERDAY. I like his offense. I can even live with his questionable play call decisions (like 4th down in our territory in the 1st quarter of an away game?). But if he can’t judge talent and get the right folks on the field, he is not a good coach. If he can’t separate “practice” performance from “game” performance, he is not a good coach. I mean, he can’t even find a way to get Days on the field. Come on.
Who should we hire? I have no idea. Hell, hire the current Navy coach. Same system, hopefully he can judge talent better. But if Tevin starts tomorrow, he should be fired. If Tevin starts and loses tomorrow, he should be fired SUNDAY.
A-mazed
November 2nd, 2012
10:34 pm
Well, I think Vad’s passes are far better that TWs. And I agree he has made some plays. But, I have not seen him make the QB sneaks reguired, nor has he showed anything in the option to the outside. Our offense, is not designed for pass play that he seems to run better than TW. Vad has had a few runs that showed some heart. He inspired the BYU defense into some nice fouls, but he showed nothing else.
The defense still stinks, and the offense matched then for BYU.
And changing the entire offense in the season is just not possible, even if our coach wanted to, which he clearly does not.
So, TW is not the problem, and Vad is not the fix.