All-Football Friday! The questions facing Georgia Tech
A surprise a year ago, Georgia Tech will surprise us this time only if it stinks. Which it probably won’t. But that doesn’t mean it has no issues. Every team does, and thank goodness. If teams had no issues there’d be no place for folks like me. Forty-three days ahead of its opener against Jacksonville State, here’s what we should be asking about the Jackets:
• Is Paul Johnson’s offense, as Paul Johnson contends, going to make an exponential jump in Year 2? Are there really that many different ways to hand or pitch someone the ball? Or will the going get tougher for the option-based spread the second time through the ACC?
• Will the passing game become more than a diversionary tactic? Does Tech need to bring the disparity between rushing and passing yards — 73 percent of the offense against 27 percent last season — into closer harmony? (Say, 65 to 35?) Will the Jackets, who could well be playing for a championship, throw the ball effectively when the day comes when they’re behind with five minutes to play?
• Will Jonathan Dwyer improve on 1,395 yards rushing, or will the Jackets’ increasing familiarity with the nuances of Johnson’s offense call for the A-backs — Dwyer is a B-back — to get the ball more? Is there a capable backup should Dwyer tweak an ankle?
• Are the A-backs about to get even faster? Will Roddy Jones, last seeing fleeing down the Sanford Stadium sideline, recover from his offseason hand injury in time to wreak immediate havoc? And is Marcus Wright, even smaller and faster than Jones, about to have his breakout moment?
• Is there a stranger case in college football than Demaryius Thomas? Is there a receiver in college football who caught a higher ratio — 52.7 percent — of his team’s completions? Are there 10 more talented receivers in the land?
• Will the defense, gutted by high-profile losses to its front four, hold up its end? Or will Derrick Morgan, who’s among the best defensive ends in the land, catch the same disease that befell Coleman Rudolph in the early ’90s — a season’s worth of double- and triple-teaming?
Loading ...• If your defense can’t stop the other team, doesn’t that undercut the whole premise of Johnson’s offense? Can you run, run, run if you’re always playing from behind? Can you win games 41-38 with a team that passes as an afterthought? Will Josh Nesbitt, who’s talented enough to do almost anything, improve his completion percentage (an unbecoming 43.9 last season) so Thomas can work some downfield wonders?
• Will the special teams, which essentially dealt Tech out of the Chick-fil-A Bowl before it had begun, no longer be a liability? Don’t running the ball, defending and being sound in the kicking game historically go together? What if one aspect fails? Will it be 38-3 (the score of LSU’s blowout bowl victory) all over again?
• Will the new weight of expectations turn Johnson, who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, into a season-long sourpuss? If Tech loses a big game early and fans and writers start sniping at his offense, will he snipe back? Is his honeymoon, which continued unabated even after the bowl loss, apt to end anytime soon?
Bradley says: Tech will go 10-2 in the regular season, losing at Florida State and at Vanderbilt, and will beat FSU in the ACC title game.
(If you’re interested, here are the questions regarding Georgia. And check back at 3 p.m. for those concerning the Falcons. It’s All-Football Friday!)
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260 comments Add your comment
braveswin
July 24th, 2009
5:14 pm
Ahh, I love this time of year. Everyone is so certain that this is the year that their school is going to go 12-0. Every year less than 2% of them are right. Everyone can say “bank on it, book it or you heard it here first” and talk out their respective hind ends and throw 2nd grade insults at their rivals. Predictions are like opinions and ***holes, everybody has got one
P-Cole
July 24th, 2009
5:21 pm
Demaryius (Bay-Bay) Thomas is the bomb, but is a little shy about contact and is an average blocker. Great speed and above average hands. Is perfect for Paul’s cute little offense.
GT: 8-4, 5 – 3 Clemson, VaTech, Wake, UGA
Normal is what’s normal for you, BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB’s
jacket3
July 24th, 2009
5:36 pm
Tech will surprise us all again. I think the Jackets season will be special and better than last year. Now that everyone has learned Coach Johnson playbook – it’s gonna be real hard to stop the Buzz Express.
GATA
July 24th, 2009
5:41 pm
Please tell me who is going to fill the holes left in Yech’s defensive front and how that is going to lead to an 13-0 record. Last time I checked, the O and D fronts mean everything in college football (see Florida of 2 years ago, bad offensive line play =’ed several losses). I am going to enjoy the he11 out of this other worldly expectations to only fall well short of them. Keep it up, it will only bring more satisfaction at the end of football year when the Yechs are looking at each other in total shock … left to wonder what should have been.
Paul Lee
July 24th, 2009
6:01 pm
You know what’s funny about this post ? It’s about GT football, but all of the Mutt fans clocked in late for the second shift, just to read about how we are legit, and no longer a pushover for them, and they are afraid. They are used to losing to Florida, and now know we could be reversing the trend set forth by our previous regime, and they just can’t handle it. Personally I wouldn’t read their board if my life depended on it. Get ready guys, there’s a new Sheriff in town, and his name is Paul Johnson !
Go Tech
July 24th, 2009
6:04 pm
Bradley—Please quit jinking GT–youre predictions are always a jinx on any team–if you want to help Tech, then predict UGA National Champs each year.
Mark Bradley
July 24th, 2009
6:14 pm
OK, how’s this: Georgia will win the national championship this year (despite my prediction of UGA going 8-4). Jinx enough for you?
southgadawg88
July 24th, 2009
6:46 pm
10-2 for GT?Not realistic for a couple of reasons..1.The schedule…FSU,VT,VA,Clemson,NC,Wake and UGA..GT has a rather lopsided losing record against those teams going back to 02…4-3 would be the best they could hope for.Vandy,Mia,MSU and Duke are all capable of an upset.2.Defensive holes.Everybody talks about GT’s offensive potential but Tech’s defense played a big part in their success last year.The DL will be a huge question mark.Teams are going to score on GT and I don’t seem them out scoring everybody they play.8-4 would be a good year for Tech.
bcwreck
July 24th, 2009
8:03 pm
Paul Johnson is Bobby Bowden, 32 years later.
He has the offensive mind. We has the personality. He has the MoJo. He is picking up in recruiting. He has the experience.
Lots of similarities.
The recruits want to come to Tech for development, discipline, success, winning, and oh by the way a great education.
Go back ans look at FSU’s success in the late 70s, all of the 80, all of the 90s, and the first half of the 2000s.
Get used to Tech excelling for the next 20+ years under Paul Johnson.
jackson
July 24th, 2009
8:32 pm
I’m just glad that St. Simons, m, and Ramble On finally got to post on a GT blog. It was a relief for the Dawg fans today.
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
8:45 pm
We UGA fans hesitantly enjoyed some of MB’s pillow talk last year… Now it appears it is your turn. I’m sure it will be GSU next year.
Dawg'94
July 24th, 2009
8:48 pm
Tech will loss to VT, UNC, Clemson, FSU and GEORGIA.
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
8:50 pm
southgadawg88, GT has dominated Clemson and UNC in recent years. That alone invalidates your point. UVA we usually split, with the home team winning. We’ve also split the last four with Wake, a team we haven’t even played since 2006. The only teams you list that have dominated us at all are FSU and UGA, and NEWSFLASH: We beat both last year. True, our D-line has a few questions, but the best of the line returns and our new guys get to cut their teeth on a cupcake and Clemson at home. Plus, our entire secondary returns that played after last year’s Clemson game. Not to mention, you and I both know what happens in a shootout. Something to the tune of 45-42.
Still unrealistic?
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
8:54 pm
TechDan,
Newsflash… You shouldn’t have beaten FSU or UGA last year. Both games were implosions by your opponents, not because Tech was the better team. You could have easily been 7-5 going into whatever bowl game and calling for CPJ’s head.
Dwyer for h
July 24th, 2009
9:02 pm
409 yards rushing and we shouldn’t have won? Nesbitt taking a knee to end the game? We won’t be so nice next year.. Instead of calling it a fluke why don’t you bow down and thank us for having mercy on you it would make you look less stupid
Dawg'94
July 24th, 2009
9:07 pm
I forgot one. Tech will loss to Miami too.
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
9:13 pm
UGA might have been a close game, but GT was pushing FSU all around the field before Nesbitt was injured early in the third. Sure, injuries are a part of the game, but FSU was lucky to be in a position to win.
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
9:13 pm
And why would we be calling for CPJ’s head at 7-5? We were predicted to go 3-9, remember?
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
9:26 pm
CPJ would have beat UGA by 50 if he could have. UGA didn’t show up in the second half… You had 409 yards rushing because UGA’s defense didn’t wrap up… Also, I forgot 7-5 is a good year at Tech, they would have made rings even if they had lost only by 20 to UGA.
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
9:28 pm
Hey, I said the game was close, didn’t I?
GATA
July 24th, 2009
9:50 pm
- TechDan “True, our D-line has a few questions, but the best of the line returns ”
Name the best of your line and then name the three starters that are no longer there. Can you really believe that the BEST of your D line is still here??? I thought only UGA fans were supposed to be delusional. But I forgot that CPJ doesn’t even need a defense to roll up an undefeated record. Here’s to one hard fall Yech fans.
stony
July 24th, 2009
10:02 pm
Does anyone else here remember how everyone ridiculed Ken Swilling when he predicted an undefeated season before the 1990 season? The only ones who believed were the players, and when it came right down to it, they’re the only ones that mattered. This years players believe, in Johnson’s offense, and in their ability to execute it. It doesn’t matter what any of us on this blog say or believe; those of you that were around in 1990 probably didn’t believe it when Swilling said it either. Make your predictions, and I’ll make mine. 12-0!
Tokyo jacket
July 24th, 2009
10:04 pm
Banker Dawg, thanks for the very reasonable comments. Now, onto the questions.
I predict that Dwyer will have fewer carries but more yards, increasing his 6 YPC average. He’ll have more yards in the fourth quarter (when he’s still in) due to defenses being very tired. Also, Nesbitt was a very accurate passer in HS, but didn’t practice it last year. He will be much more polished this year and complete a couple of those that were just long for Roddy Jones. Expect him to have about 1500 passing yards this year.
Tech has MANY capable back-ups. ESPN ranks us as having the best backfield in the ACC and one of the best in the country — interesting that we racked up the 4th best rushing attack with a broken O-line and Fr/So RBs last year…look out!
Thomas is good…actually probably going to be a 2nd rounder if he stays for his senior year. He’s much more polished than this offense shows him as being(think Calvin Johnson being stuck with Reggie Ball, but not as good as CJ).
Finally, I totally agree with the 6-1 comment. If Tech can come out 6-1 (I know they can start 4-0); watch out!!! If Tech starts 6-1, there will be NC talk and Heisman talk for Dwyer (maybe Nesbitt).
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
10:06 pm
Bad news stoney. There are probably 30 Div I teams that believe they will go undefeated this year. Tech will go 8-4 at best this year.
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
10:12 pm
Tokyo Jacket,
Good college football teams start with good recruiting. There are very few consistanly good college teams that are consistently good without great recruiting classes. Tech has not had any. 2 and 3 star recruits are not going to cut it. Last year was okay, but it won’t be consistant and it won’t get better.
southgadawg88
July 24th, 2009
10:40 pm
GT is 2-5 against UVA,4-3 against Clemson I don’t see that as splitting with UVA or dominating Clemson.As for UGA giving up 40 plus is nothing to brag about win or lose.
Tokyo jacket
July 24th, 2009
10:49 pm
Actually, genius, the class that is putting most of our players on the field right now was our best class in the last 25 years. Dwyer, Burnett, and Nesbitt were potentially all underrated. But hey, GA got the 5-star (King) and we got the 4-star (Dwyer) and the 3-star (Jones). I’ll keep our class thank you.
I do agree with you though. Successful teams do get higher rated players. But, I really believe that in about 30% of the cases, they get bumped when they get offered by big time programs because Rivals studies the players a lot more that get offered by Alabama than they do the players that get offered by Troy. Marcus Wright is a perfect example. He was the state 5-A player of the year in Texas, the richest football state in the nation. He was also a 3-star because he’s 5′8″. If he were 6′, he would have been the number one back in the country. But, GT doesn’t need the 6′ RB for A-back. Se we got a great deal!
Also, they say of Bryant “He could take his’n and beat you with your’n or take your’n and beat you with his’n.” That’s the kind of coach that CPJ is. That is also the kind of coach Belichik is. That is not the kind of coach that Richt is. I like our chances at Tech.
Also, I do appreciate the fact that you did present a logical football argument. There’s not enough people on here that do that.
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
11:03 pm
Tokyo,
Dwyer was 4 stars, I know he’s good but you could go to a nursing home and, as long as he/she doesn’t fumble, I will find someone who could rack up 6 yards per carry in that offense. He won’t be a Heisman finalist and he won’t go in the first 3 rounds of the draft. We’ll see this year about King.
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
11:27 pm
I suppose it really does depend on what time period you pick.
We’re 4-1 against Clemson in the last 5 years.
And did you know that against UVA, the home team has only lost 3 times since 1990?
Or, something like that.
Kinda like, you know, 1-7, or 3-7 all depends on the starter mark.
Saint Simons lives in his mothers basement
July 24th, 2009
11:28 pm
Huh wrote ….You Techies are all over the place talking out of both sides of your mouths. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were completely full of $$$$……………
Yes we are full of money!!! Now its been an hour since I ordered my pizza where the hell are you?????
TechDan
July 24th, 2009
11:33 pm
GATA: Derrick Morgan.
The general consensus is that he is better than anyone else on our D-Line from last year.
Tech Fans, Enjoy MB's Lovefest
July 24th, 2009
11:38 pm
If you are even just a little of an Atlanta Braves fan… Tune in to the next few weeks. This is not your typical Braves team with no emotion.
Brent S.
July 24th, 2009
11:55 pm
Keep in mind people…Paul Johnson did last year, with “Chock” Gailey’s players, what “Chock” Gailey COULDN’T do with them…WIN!!!! Last year, AT Georgia, Tech went for TWO consecutive 2-point conversions and got them BOTH!!! Add a 26 point 2nd half to that game, and THA, my friend, is what “Chock” Gailey couldn’t do!! By the way, Gailey got the Kansas City OC job and last time I looked, they have been in the top 5 draft positions TWO years in a row. That’s NO ACCIDENT—He SUCKS THAT BAD!!!!
Stumpknocker
July 25th, 2009
12:25 am
Yeah-right 55,000 seat stadium, all that game footage, kept Ga Sou from winning a hand full of NCs while running CPJ’s offense or a variation of it after he was gone. You see dumbazz, your scout team can’t replicate the speed or execution of the real deal.
All-Football Friday! The questions facing Georgia | Mark Bradley | Betting FBCC: Atlanta Falcons
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[...] All-Football Friday! The questions facing Georgia Tech | Mark BradleyMark Bradley of the AJC, as part of his All-Football Friday, examines the questions facing Georgia Tech as it approaches the 2009 season. [...]
mtraininjax
July 25th, 2009
7:31 am
WE have to beat UVA on the road this year. Its a joke for our record with them up there. I agree with Bradley, if the LSU loss taught us anything, its what happens with you are not ready to play. We have to win the ACC games this year at home, and take it to UVA/FSU on the road. Clemson and UNC are at home, as is VaTech. We cannot go 5-3 in the ACC and expect to get to the ACCC!
MuttsRstupid
July 25th, 2009
10:18 am
Mutt fans are so dumb they can’t even get their intended insults right. To the mutt fan who stated Tech will be ready for the BCS championship game when it is played on Thursdays…..the next BCS title game is January 7, 2010….yep, on THURSDAY. You mutts are pitiful, but I gotta say, your prognostication abilities appear to have hope!
Flo-Ri-Duh!
July 25th, 2009
11:46 am
Saint Simons I bet you are a Tech snow bird from Jersey…. Yankee go home!
PN
July 25th, 2009
12:20 pm
Wow. My only response to this is even if we go 7-5 this year, the UGA fans sure do care a whole lot about the GT blogs, moreso than the last few years. Something’s working. And now UGA fans are even resorting to projecting bigger schools calling for CPJ’s services. That’s a compliment to the GT program and brings the desperation/worry glisten. Ah, you stupid, stupid puppies.
Burdell
July 25th, 2009
1:38 pm
Just remember pup fans, the more you downgrade Tech as a mediocre team, the worse it will be when you get beat by that “mediocre” team TGiving weekend. THWG!!!
Tech Fan through and through
July 25th, 2009
2:53 pm
Hey MuttsRStupid,
Maybe they are correct. The only time we will win the BCS National Championship will be on a Thursday night, January 7, 2010.
GTman
July 25th, 2009
6:09 pm
Tech’s only loss will be to UF in the NC game. UF will have the only offense that we will face this year that will outclass GT’s defense. GT’s offense will score well on everybody including UF, but UF will also have the best defense (by far) that we will face all year.
Mark, you and others clearly do not understand the CPJ offense. IT IS A Homerun offense. This offense is not dependent on the pass to play catch up should we get behind. Did you watch the UGA game last year and see you quickly we can score running the football? This offense executed correctly with the level of talent that we have at the A back and B back positions can score just as quickly as a well executed passing attack and with less turnover risk.
GT-Jake
July 25th, 2009
8:41 pm
Mark, you’ve really stepped it up in the last couple of years. You used to be a total UGA butt-kisser loser.
BIGBOY
July 26th, 2009
12:47 am
Where was all this unstoppable offense against Gardner-Webb,NC,LSU,VA or VT?You guys are kidding yourselves.GT finished 3-3 over the last 6 games played.That don’t seem so intimidating.Now you are going to tell me that you lose your best players on the DL and all of a sudden GT is going to run all over everybody?Give me a friggin break!! You guys didn’t exactly set the ACC on fire…you beat up on Mia and Duke…that’s it..you didn’t dominate anybody you played over your last 8 games except MIA.GW 3pt win,Clemson 4pt win,loss to VA at home,FSU 3pt win,loss to NC,3pt win over GA and a beatdown against LSU.But CPJ has everybody running scared huh?Please!!!!!! I will be surprised if GT makes it to OCT without 2 losses.
BIGBOY
July 26th, 2009
1:04 am
And TechDAN … GT is 4-7 against UVA…4-2 AT HOME and 0-5 on the road.Actually UVA is 5-1 against Tech in the last 6.GT started playing VT in 04 and is 1-4.FSU 1-6.
Georgia Tech Football Returns To Radio In Columbus – GEORGIA TECH … | Betting FBCC: Atlanta Falcons
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[...] All-Football Friday! The questions facing Georgia Tech | Mark BradleyMark Bradley of the AJC, as part of his All-Football Friday, examines the questions facing Georgia Tech as it approaches the 2009 season. [...]
TOptionSpread
July 26th, 2009
8:46 am
Steve, Tech is 4-7 over the last 11 years. You have had a run but you don’t own anybody. We are 2008 State Champions and we beat you 45-42. The only thing you own is the sewer problem under your stadium. Now if you want to talk about being owned, I think you’d better mention Florida in that conversation. And Yes Tech wins more games than Georgia this year. Including at BDS.
GO JACKETS!!! THWG
heeldawg
July 26th, 2009
2:57 pm
Lots of comments.
Trade school junkie. you’re delusional if you really expect the Jackets to go 12-0, but that’s okay if it makes you feel better about yourself. And, BTW, while CPJ’s a good coach, Tech doesn’t exactly have Florida’s level of talent, so your comparision in the latter posting is not really valid.
Fellow Georgia fans, let’s face it: Chan Gailey IS gone. We can’t beat Tech anymore by just showing up. That’s what happened last season, and we paid the price. Tech deserved to win that game because we were fundamentally sloppy. Missed tackles, blown assignments and turnovers, not a lack of talent, led to that loss. Those are correctable problems, however, and for Tech fans to assume that a Jacket win over a motivated Georgia team this season is a forgone conclusion would be foolish.
I think that the next few years of the Mark Richt/Paul Johnson rivalry will be among the most competitive in the history of the “clean old-fashioned hate” series. No team will be likely to dominate the other. In many ways, that can be a good thing–great competition often leads to memorable play, and good rivalries push each member of the rivalry to do better to stay ahead of the curve. This could end up being the state of Georgia’s version of the FSU/Florida rivalry during the Spurrier/Bowden heyday–a hotly-contested battle between two great teams from the SEC and ACC, respectively, battling for conference respect and statewide recognition.
Could be some great football, the kind we’ll talk about for years to come. And that’s not a bad thing.
macrotech
July 27th, 2009
2:06 am
heeldawg, well said!!! Your thoughts are echoed by this Tech fan…. GO RIVALRY!!!
trade school junkie??
July 27th, 2009
8:12 am
You are clueless. You can’t sell even sell out a 50,000 seat stadium in the middle of a metro city. VT and UGA have perhaps the most passionate fans anywhere are sell out every single game, every single week, every single year. When VT and UGA come to Bobby Dodd, they may have as many fans there as GT does. Ease up and have some respect…and class.