Tech’s Morgan: “We want to win the ACC championship”
Derrick Morgan: Even if you hold him, you can't really stop him. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Most of the other Jackets trudged the two blocks from their practice field to the locker room, but Derrick Morgan, the splendid defensive end, rolled up in an SUV. A young woman had happened by and had offered Morgan and two Georgia Tech teammates a lift, and they weren’t inclined to say no.
“In the nick of time,” Morgan said, smiling. “That walk after practice feels long.”
What this tells us: Derrick Morgan is a pragmatist. He’s not one to traffic, so to speak, in posturing. Why walk when you can ride? Why jump up and down shouting, “Hey, look at us,” when you figure your team has the wherewithal to make people notice yet again?
Some Tech folks were disappointed the Jackets weren’t ranked higher than No. 15 in the coaches’ and Associated Press preseason poll. Morgan wasn’t among them. “I didn’t think we’d be that high,” he said. “We were embarrassed by LSU [in the Chick-fil-A Bowl]. I was expecting us to be lower.”
This isn’t to say Morgan expects Tech to underperform in Year 2 under Paul Johnson. “We want to win the ACC championship,” Morgan said, “and then we have to take it to the next level: We want to win a bowl game. We haven’t won one of those in I-don’t-know-how-long.” [Tech's last postseason victory: Dec. 21, 2004, over Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl.]
Morgan plays defense, but he also sees Tech’s stylized offense every day. A visitor posits the semi-popular notion that opponents will be better able to stop Johnson’s spread option in 2009 because they had a look at it in 2008. A valid point?
“Uh, no — just to be blunt,” Morgan said. “Seeing it can’t get you ready for everything. And how long are you really going to have to prepare for it? A week at the most.”
Morgan remembers the first time his defense went against the first-team offense in spring practice 2008: “We didn’t know what hit us. We knew what it looked like, but we saw its potential unleashed.”
And what’s it like to face that offense? “Not fun. You have to be really cognizant of cutback blocks and the blind side. You have to be really assignment-sound.”
As for Tech’s D: Much has been made over Morgan’s missing linemates — Michael Johnson, Vance Walker and Darryl Richard, all drafted by NFL teams — but it must be noted that the Jackets return a starter at every other defensive spot. It must also be noted that Morgan, whom Tech insiders considered the best of the linemen, believes he has improved.
“I was looking at some tape of last year,” he said, “and I think I’m a lot better now. I know there’s more attention on me, but we’ve still got a great defensive line.”
Loading ...So, if you’re planning to categorize Tech as a one-year wonder, you won’t find a willing audience wearing No. 91. “I would not agree with that,” Morgan said, smiling again. He also said this: “With the type of talent we have, we can compete with the best teams in the country. Our goal is to win every game.”
And this, remember, is a pragmatist speaking, not some dewy-eyed dreamer. But before we leave Derrick Morgan, we must present his one blue-sky dream. That long slog from the practice field? He sees a workaround.
“We need one of those things they have in airports,” he said. “A moving sidewalk.”
At last check, there are a few engineers on campus. Get moving, people!
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184 comments Add your comment
Don Barzini
August 26th, 2009
3:54 pm
Pi$$ on a dawg, that was the point. You aren’t gonna sell out a game, no matter what the venue. Just the way your fan base is.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
3:54 pm
Jon Jenkins, sure….when we can come on here without hearing the ‘nerd’ word
db8
August 26th, 2009
3:54 pm
Oh we’ve got those dooog fans barking now…. Tell me again how many NC’s do you guys have?
THWg
August 26th, 2009
3:55 pm
I can answer that 1 in 200 plus years whereas GT has 4 in 100 plus years. Even a UG fan can do that math! yahoo.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 26th, 2009
3:56 pm
Dawg Guy many names are taken and used. I show how much I hate the Dawgs and it is the line in a CHEER. So, yes it is classless, but I am just playing down to my UGA competition. I do noy call you: Ugay, yellowsketterpetereater, or any homo slang. A dog does sniff butts, licks itself, humps legs, craps in the front yard, and pi$$es on people. So, I say PI$$ On A DAWG. CUZ likes to banter back and forth with me and understands it is all in fun. What are you a little touchy after last year? We have 7 years of your crap to get off our chest. Live with it or better yet just try to win in the ATL this year.
Dawg Guy
August 26th, 2009
4:00 pm
THWg – I didn’t know Georgia had been playing football for “200 plus years.” Wow, i never knew we had a team circa 1809. Georgia could claim all sorts of National Championships (to be specific, 1927, 1942, 1946, 1968, and 1980), but we only count the ones that were either majority or unanimous. Why don’t you tell us how many unanimous National Championships GT has won? (crickets)
UGA Girls Smell Like Redneck Puke
August 26th, 2009
4:01 pm
UGA girls are like B-movie starlets and low-end strippers – workable if you are desparate but usually washed up by the time they are 25. If any of you have the mis-fortune to be married to a UGA-hag, please accept my sympathies. Maybe you can apply for relief under the Cash for (female UGA) Clunkers program!!
THWg
August 26th, 2009
4:03 pm
Dawg Guy <- All sorts of NC’s? In what? Cow tippin’, tractor pullin’, hawg callin’.. You guys are the best.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:03 pm
Reggie Ball Sack, you should have stopped at, ” I’m from the North and we dont know a thing about College ball”. We’d have taken your word for it…you didn’t have to prove it with the rest of your post!
GT Alum
August 26th, 2009
4:03 pm
Jenkins – Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t making excuses for the obnoxious tech fans. I was just saying that neither side can throw stones. I really am a tech alum, and I must admit those probably are the best insults A LOT of tech fans can make. We really aren’t very clever with insults (bows head in shame).
J – I don’t wear a turban and was typing fast, so I really don’t care that I misspelled it. Sorry anyways.
Huh? – Every team loses a game if not many. Can’t make excuses for all of them. And I was saying that excuses COULD be made but that we should ignore them for and against all teams and just shut up and wait till kickoff.
I could argue that last season tech whooped the crap out of UGA with 400+ yards rushing, monster points in the third quarter, and an amazing game between the hedges. Or I could say that UGA was the better team and just missed a couple of tackles that made the entire difference of the game along with one plus 6 turnover.
Jon Jenkins
August 26th, 2009
4:03 pm
macrotech, let me get this straight. So you’re saying that when a Georgia fan insults (correctly, by my observations – and I’m a SMU grad with no dog (no pun) in the fight) your fan base, you respond by simply making up false socio-economic jabs coupled with referencing archaic national championships? Wow, real mature. And logical. You’re right, you guys are insanely smart.
homer
August 26th, 2009
4:04 pm
No one anywhere in the country can post anything about college football without being bombarded by the childish, ignorant rantings of the so-called dawwgie fans. All of you are a laughing stock around the country and widely viewed as a group of dumb rednecks who may have gotten a degree from that diploma mill, but for the most part can’t spell or make coherent sentences. What a pathetic group of losers. Oh, and don’t waste your effort responding; I’m not here anymore.
Dawg Guy
August 26th, 2009
4:05 pm
THWg – awesome comeback. I’ll bet you made an “A” in debate in high school. You’re so stupid it is painful to witness.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:05 pm
Dawg Guy, using your standards….Tech has six. Thanks for playing!
12 wins vs. UGA since 1965
August 26th, 2009
4:05 pm
Reggie Ball!!!! possibly the 3rd best UGA quarterback this decade!!!
GT is simply irrelevant, in an irrelevant conference, with irrelevant “fans”. Put butts in the seats before you go on defending your fan base. Everywhere I see is an add for 1-888-TECH-TIX, and that is PATHETIC!!! you have to wake up the old man in the ticket window booth to buy a ticket on gameday.
I love all you Techie, dragon-con lovin d-bags getting all upset about dawg fans posting on your little blogs…..please try and act like it doesnt go both ways.
TUCK FECH!!!!!!!!!
B
August 26th, 2009
4:06 pm
Shouldn’t be too hard to win the ACC….it’s the ACC after all!!!!!!!!
Champaign Dawg
August 26th, 2009
4:07 pm
Hey THWg, you’re saying UGA has been playing football for 200 plus years?
That’s coming from a GT fan and using the math skills learned at said Institute?
That’s awesome. UGA’s first team was fielded in 1892.
So, per Georgia Tech Math, 2009 – 1892 = 200 plus.
Got it.
THWg
August 26th, 2009
4:07 pm
ty ty ty very much. What is funny is a uga fan calling a gt fan stupid. git er dun bo!
Pi$$onaDawg
August 26th, 2009
4:08 pm
UGA GIRLS wait just a minute. UGA girl ride just like a pickup truck with 2 broke shocks and an out of line rearend. You don’t have to go fast and you still get a great ride. UGA girls know to eithe be doing the dishes in the morning or to be the F gone before I open my eyes. UGA Tramp there is a $20 on the desk for you and would you take the sock off the door know too.
YellowandBlackAttack
August 26th, 2009
4:08 pm
Hey “GA Tech Insider”…trust me my friend, there are as many obnoxious Tech fans that try to ruin the UGA blogs on the AJC as there are UGA fans over here doing the same for our blogs. It’s hard to call out some of these dawg fans when we’ve got “Saint Simons” and a few other adolescents over there embarrassing the rest of us mature Tech fans. CAN’T EVERYBODY JUST GROW UP AND SHOW A LITTLE GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP?….SIGH
SR
August 26th, 2009
4:09 pm
okay…I am neither a tech or uga fan, but tech fans insulting the looks of uga girls???!!! Come on..have you seen the ugliness on your campus?!!!
Timbo C.
August 26th, 2009
4:11 pm
homer – i have a cousin that went to tech, and I can understand where you’re coming from. That view that you claim is shared by the rest of the country is completely a tech perspective. And can you blame tech fans? Their’s is a culture that preaches and breeds hate, demonizing, and ridiculing all things Georgia. They erstwhile thing everyone else shares this view. It’s really amazing how mindf*cked tech students are.
MT
August 26th, 2009
4:11 pm
Man there are some stupid redneck dawg fans on here today. One says tech wouldn’t win 5 games if they played in the sec. They went 2-1 last year moron. And this year we will be 3-0 after we beat the dawgs again. The 2009 recruiting class is top 20 and would be top 10 if we had more scholarships. So shut your braindead mouths. Only 10 days to rub it in when the rednecks get blown out against Ok state. Can’t wait to see the final tally of the sec vs the acc. Of the games i know of, gt will win 3, nc state will win the opener with usc. and clemson will beat usc at the end. the only loss i see is fsu to uf.
Mark Bradley
August 26th, 2009
4:13 pm
I see the level of discourse has reached its usual elevated status.
LSWho?
August 26th, 2009
4:14 pm
38-3….hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:14 pm
Jon Jenkins, I’m saying that we’ll be delighted to keep everything relative to football, but are bombarded by ‘nerd’, ‘lives in our mom’s basement and using her internet’, ‘can’t get the ladies’, blah, blah, blah….. just keepin’ things on an equal playin’ field (Truly, tis a guilty pleasure that, from time to time, I enjoy). I was recruited to play football for SMU just before the ‘death penalty’ was imposed. I enjoyed the campus and hated that things worked out the way they did…. In short, it’s easy to make fun of either side of this ball. If you can’t hack it, don’t participate.
R. Randall
August 26th, 2009
4:14 pm
yep, there goes ole “Pi$$onaDawg” with his latest post that just drips of classiness. Wow, son, you are indeed the epitome of “class.” As you so often claim. What a fricking joke.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 26th, 2009
4:14 pm
I messed the last line up. UGA tramps know there is a $20 on the desk for them and to take to sock off the door too. Better I must need another Jack & Ice to help me type bettererer.
MT
August 26th, 2009
4:16 pm
Trust a dawg fan? yeah right. trust em as far as you can kick em. there is by far more ga rednecks posting on tech blogs than vice versa. it’s not even close and 90% of the uga postings on gt blogs are ignorant stupid asinine crap. just like the first 2 on here.
Hey Dogtards
August 26th, 2009
4:16 pm
Thank all of you for chiming in. It is now clear that while Tech has one St. Simons, uga has at least 15 of them.
Dawg Guy
August 26th, 2009
4:17 pm
THWg – lets just say I’m from Missouri and I need you to “show me” that you aren’t as stupid as the things that you post. Because you come off like an utter retard with the drivel and nonsense you spew. I’m talking full blow mongoloid stupid. Think “Warren” from Something About Mary stupid. Think “Reggie Ball” stupid. I mean full-on dumb$hit stupid.
Hey Dogtards
August 26th, 2009
4:17 pm
PS Mark, thank you for the great write-up. Please, keep them coming!
Champaign Dawg
August 26th, 2009
4:18 pm
OK, here’s a Dawg fan who don’t care much about who has more national championships in ancient history. In my life time, both GT and UGA have ONE.
I also don’t worry myself much about all the noise GT fans are making these days. They beat us last year in Athens and they deserve it. I don’t like Pi$$onaDawg’s monicker (prefering to identify myself by the team I love instead of by a team I hate), but I agree with his point completely. They’ve had to take it for 7 years. I’ll glad it take it like a man this year.
I’d much prefer to see GT become a national powerhouse again. I think it would be fitting for the state of Georgia to have 2 top 10 teams every year. There’s enough talent in GA for that to happen. So I’m pulling for Tech to be undefeated when we come to town.
And since no self-respecting Dawg fan could not take at least one dig at GT, I have to say that an improved GT team will finally stop dragging down UGA’s strength of schedule rankings!
Pi$$onaDawg
August 26th, 2009
4:19 pm
R Randall it is getting fun. Now, as MB said we have almost (not totally) hit the rock bottom of the name calling.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:19 pm
Timbo C., I’m sure that they teach folk at uga to love and embrace GT…. it doesn’t HAVE to be taught! It’s easily aquired through blogs like this…. There’s a reason it’s called “Clean, Old Fashioned Hate”. GO TECH!!!
Sting 'em Buzz
August 26th, 2009
4:19 pm
Sting Buzz, ah yes, you are referring to the personality known as St. Simons. I often read the Junkyard Blawg so I see what goes on. It is a cycle that is repeated on a daily basis and just gets older every day. When will it ever stop. Well it could if the AJC didn’t employ the name and email requirement.
For the record, I do not use the score of the 2008 game as a taunt.
If you want to assume I am a geek, go right ahead. I prefer to blog without flaming others.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:21 pm
Champaign Dawg, you’re a Champion Dawg in my book…. You speak great wisdom and exercise great understanding. Best of luck to you and yours!
mtraininjax
August 26th, 2009
4:22 pm
Beating the teams Tech beat last year is…..last year. It’s 0-0 right now and anyone can beat anyone on a given day. Gardner-Webb almost proved that last year. You can’t let up against any team. Mark good post!
Does the atmosphere of journalism seem different with Johnson as the coach versus the frigid responses that Gailey used to give? I really appreciate the coverage, of course having a good year helps, but being on the cusp of a better year, isn’t bad either.
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
Champaign Dawg, we’d appreciate it VERY much if ya’ll wouldn’t go dragging our strength of schedule down…. ;o)
Champaign Dawg
August 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
Well said, Sting em.
Though I did detect a bit of “flaming others” in some of your earlier posts. I remember 3 or 4 years ago, there was actually a bit of thoughtful dialogue on these blogs. They’ve really fallen into the gutter the last few years.
Osama Bin Laden
August 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
I just bought my Tech season tickets from 1-888-TECH-TIX!!! I also got 4 hot dogs, 4 cokes, a parking pass and a program!!!!
Look forward to sitting with my fellow terrorists in the stands!!!!
GT45
August 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
Mark, You reckon whoever lines up beside Morgan should have some pretty good numbers this year?
Kim Jong-il
August 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
Me to Osama!!!
macrotech
August 26th, 2009
4:24 pm
Dawg Guy, “Have you seen my baseball?!”
Can't we all just get along
August 26th, 2009
4:24 pm
What’s with all the name calling from UG fans? I really don’t see the name calling from the Tech fans. Geeze, don’t take it so personal.
Champaign Dawg
August 26th, 2009
4:25 pm
Hey MacroTech, we’ll try. But I think we actually pulled it up last year.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 26th, 2009
4:26 pm
Champaign Dawg thanks for to 1/2 pass on me being the ass on the blog. I could go with a GT name but the AJC has more dawg venters and blogers and SEC stuff. So, I use a name that makes no doubt as to where I stand on any of the blogs. Thanks again for giving some class and real opinion to our sad blog. Good luck and health on the holiday weekend.
Dawg Foot
August 26th, 2009
4:27 pm
Look for the Tech NERDS to have their usual 3 to 4 losses. And the first COMMENT on this blog is priceless. You all NERDS need to learn to fight back.
Phil of Playaz Ball
August 26th, 2009
4:27 pm
It’s okay. Georgie fans are just like their mascot: inbred.
They can’t help it.
As far as GT goes, I would be disappointed if we didn’t win more games this year. Turnovers were the only thing to hurt us last season.
Champaign Dawg
August 26th, 2009
4:28 pm
Same to ya, pi$$er. (meant to sound friendly but it don’t seem to read that way).
Wait a minute. It’s a holiday weekend? Maybe my GT grad boss man will let me take a day off!