Archive for the ‘Doug Roberson’ Category

Following an unfortunate trend in college athletics, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson has decided to close all football practices to the media and public.
The Yellow Jackets begin practice on Thursday.
Practices were open throughout August during Johnson’s first season two years ago. The first two weeks were open last season.
Johnson isn’t the first coach to walk down this path. Mark Richt at Georgia has closed their practices, for example.
But it does strike me as odd.
In a business that is growingly full of contol-focused men, Johnson has always had a refreshingly practical view of the job and sport.
He also has seemingly never been concerned about other’s views of him or his offense, saying things like “it doesn’t matter what system, it’s about beating the guy in front of you,” or “they’ve got 20 years of film, and they haven’t stopped it yet.”
No reason was given, but I’m sure Johnson will be asked on Thursday.
I would assume that growing social-media trend (youtube, …

Continue reading Georgia Tech will close practices »

Georgia Tech seems to be the equivalent of a moving target.

Yes, they are the defending ACC champions.

Yes, they led the league in several offensive categories.

Yes, they return 15 starters.

No, they aren’t being picked to win the ACC.

Tech coach Paul Johnson, however, seems to embrace the fact that once again his team is being overlooked, as it was last year and as it was when he first arrived.

“They’re still going to let us play the games aren’t they?” Johnson asked on Monday when asked about two teams being favored over the Jackets to win theACC’s Coastal Division. “That’s all we care about.

“I think we can be competitive.”

The Yellow Jackets will have the bull’s eye on their back, even if they have to remind people that it’s there. With so many close wins, and some controversial plays, Tech seems to have that “yeah, but” stigma. Based upon the questions asked of Johnson at the media days in Greensboro, some of that has to do with the perception of the offense, and some of …

Continue reading Georgia Tech ready to defend ACC title »

Georgia Tech, the ACC champions, were picked to finish third in the Coastal Division by the media at the ACC kickoff in Greensboro.

Virginia Tech (62 first-place votes) was picked to win the division, followed by Miami (20). The Jackets received 11 votes.

Florida State (78) was picked to win the Atlantic, followed by Clemson (16).

Virginia Tech (50) was picked to win the ACC.

FSU’s Christian Ponder was predicted to be the conference player of the year by a landslide vote, 45-16, over Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams.

Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt finished sixth with four votes.

ACC championship votes

1. Virginia Tech 50

2. Florida State 26

3. Miami 10

4. Georgia Tech 8

5. Boston College (tie) 2

North Carolina 2

Atlantic Division

1. FSU

2. Clemson

3. Boston College

4. N.C. State

5. Wake Forest

6. Maryland

Coastal Division

1. Virginia Tech

2. Miami

3. Georgia Tech

4. North Carolina

5. Duke

6. Virginia

ACC player of the year

1. Christian Ponder, FSU

2. Ryan …

Continue reading Georgia Tech picked third in Coastal Division — updated »

GREENSBORO, N.C. — ACC commissioner John Swofford spent much of last summer’s state-of-the-conference address answering questions about what his league needed to do to become one of the powers in college football.

Different year, same conversation.

For the 12th consecutive year the ACC failed to put two teams in lucrative BCS games last season.

For the ninth consecutive year an ACC team failed to play for the national championship.

The ACC once again faces another year of listening to “the SEC rules” if it can’t put at least two teams in the big bowls, and at most put a team in the national championship game on Jan. 10 in Glendale,Az.

“You want to be in that conversation,” Swofford said on Sunday at the ACC kickoff.

With a Yoda slant, Swofford looks at the positive: “A lot of potential this league has going into the 2010 season.”

Five teams, including Georgia Tech, are in most publication’s preseason top-25 polls. Four of those, however, are in the Coastal Division. If they …

Continue reading Is this the year for the ACC? »

An anonymous person for the Bleacher Report recently listed his top-five most overrated players heading into the 2010 college football season.

Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt checked in at No. 3 with this logic:

[Jon] Dwyer was the heart and soul of the Georgia Tech offense the past two years and teams had to respect the straight up dive out of the triple option spread that Paul Johnson has employed at Georgia Tech.

With Dwyer gone, it simply doesn’t have a guy who can come close to filling his shoes.

That puts a ton more pressure on Nesbitt to make the solidest of decisions each and every snap the Jackets take on offense.

While it seemed easy for them at times in the last two years, without Dwyer as the first option, it compounds things to the point that getting outside becomes tougher and tougher each and every down.

I’m not sure if that’s more insulting to Nesbitt  or Dwyer’s replacement, Anthony Allen.

I know this: the writer, who goes by the handle Husker …

Continue reading Nesbitt one of the most overrated? »

The ACC media days kick off on Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.

We will hear from commissioner John Swofford and two players from each team on Sunday. Roddy Jones and Jason Peters are there from Georgia Tech.

On Monday, we will hear from each of the coaches, as well as the supervisor of the officials, Doug Rhoads.

I’ll have a story and notebook each day, as well as tons of tweets and updates on the new and improved Georgia Tech page on ajc.com: http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/

Sign up for the tweets @ajcgatech and bookmark the blog.

Continue reading ACC media days…here we go »

Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt said he’s “110 percent” healthy and in the best shape since he was in high school.

A combination of rest following the ankle surgery that forced him to miss spring practice, and eating right have been the difference for the senior, who looks bigger through the shoulders.

As a result, Tevin Washington said he’s going to keep the same approach this August, when he will be No. 2 on the depth chart, that he had during the spring, when he ran the No. 1 offense.

“Transition will be a little different, but it’ll be helpful,” Washington said of the move. “Keep me more humble.”

Washington said he’s worked hard this summer so that he can push Nesbitt this fall, particularly on his footwork. He worked on his timing with Correy Earls.

He’s also put in a lot of work strengthening his legs to prepare for the hits he hopes to take this fall when he does play.

“In this offense it helps a lot,” he said. “You get beat up a lot. You take a lot of hits. You …

Continue reading Nesbitt 100 percent so Washington’s staying humble »

Georgia Tech quarterbacks Joshua Nesbitt and Tevin Washington said they can’t understand — to a point — why players at some universities are accepting money from agents.

Recently, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina received notices from the NCAA that it is looking into agent activity with the football teams.

“They know they are hurting their team if they are taking money from agents,” Washington said. “It really hurts the school and program to accept money from agents and runners.”

“Overall it’s a bad thing to accept money because it’s not your job,” Nesbitt said. “But you don’t know everybody’s situation. Whose to say they are wrong?”

Georgia Tech’s compliance department held its annual session with its athletes in the spring to go-over the dos and don’ts of the NCAA rule book, maintaining eligibility and what they can and can’t do during the summer.. They will meet with the teams individually again this August and again December.

While both said …

Continue reading Nesbitt and Washington on agents »

Georgia Tech is making a change to how some fans can purchase tickets to the Georgia game when it’s at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Last year the school allowed season-ticket holders to purchase more available single-tickets to the game. Athletics director Dan Radakovich said the offer was a success. 

The school is taking that a step further. You must now be a season-ticket holder for two years in order to buy extra tickets to the Georgia game in 2011, Radakovich wrote in his email news-letter, “The Good Word,” on Thursday.

Radakovich noted that Tech has sold 24,000 season-ticket packages, and hope to sell 26,500.

Part of the reason for the change is because of the nature of Tech’s home schedule, which has good years, and not-so-good years due to ACC scheduling.

Tech’s home schedule this year features games against South Carolina State, Virginia, Miami, Middle Tennessee State, and Duke.

Next year’s schedule, considered the better home schedule, includes games against North …

Continue reading Georgia Tech ticket sales change for Georgia game »

Georgia Tech is not being investigated by the NCAA.

With many other schools in the ACC and SEC, including Georgia, receivingrecent taps on the shoulder from college sports’ governing body, Tech was all clear Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, Georgia became the latest school to be notified that the NCAA wants to take a look around. The Bulldogs join North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida for alleged improper relationships between players and agents.

To read the Georgia story, click here.

Continue reading No NCAA inquiries at Georgia Tech »