How will Tech’s Johnson handle the post-Miami scrutiny?
Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt gets squeezed by the guys in orange. (AP photo)
Most teams can lose and have it just be a loss. When Georgia Tech loses, it’s an indictment of Paul Johnson. This mightn’t be fair, but it’s reality: When your stock in trade is a stylized offense, any reversal is going to be personalized. And Paul Johnson, as we know, tends to take things personally.
As noted earlier, he delights in flouting conventional wisdom, especially when it comes to his offense. Well, that offense just managed 95 yards rushing against Miami — 377 fewer than it did against the same Hurricanes 10 months ago. Yes, Jonathan Dwyer got hurt early, but Tech was supposed to have increased depth in the backfield, was it not?
So now Johnson will have to hear this topic bandied about in both cyberspace and the real world: Has the rest of college football caught on to his spread option? And he’s going to say no, that the offense if run properly will always work against any opponent, but how he wearies of the whole discussion and turns testy?
The loss to Miami was far more comprehensive than the Chick-fil-A thrashing by LSU. That game could be explained away — and Johnson tried — as a failure of motivation and special teams. The offense, he would say, wasn’t at fault. Well, this time it was. The offense did nothing. The defense did less. The Jackets trailed by 14 points at the half and by 23 after three quarters, and now nobody’s really sure what to make of Tech.
“I think we’re going to be good,” Johnson said a couple of weeks ago, but the near-flop against Clemson and the total collapse against Miami have left everything open to question. And next comes North Carolina, which came closest to shutting down that offense last season, and dates with Florida State and Virginia Tech — and yes, with Georgia — still remain.
A cult of personality has arisen ’round Johnson. Tech fans love his tough talk, and they loved it even more when he beat Georgia. But now his highly regarded team has suffered a major blow, and it’s incumbent on PJ not to take the inevitable questions — from both fans and media — as signs of insubordination.
He gets paid a lot of money to coach his team. Here’s where PJ has to duck his head, ignore the chatter and keep coaching.
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354 comments Add your comment
JJ
September 18th, 2009
1:57 pm
AZ Jacket –
Haha….I’m fully aware of the blog and its place. But the fervor with which some of your fellow fans are arguing this point (which is quite elementary obviously) is just comical. Maybe you are right and they are just rival fans….
AZ Jacket
September 18th, 2009
1:58 pm
Georgia Girl, take another dip of skoal and relax..no need to get all up tight it was just a football game…Take a lesson from Melinda…chill out and be sweet.
AZ Jacket
September 18th, 2009
2:00 pm
JJ, you must remember that some children are home schooled and have idle time on their hands.
AZ Jacket
September 18th, 2009
2:01 pm
slick are you that stupid?
JJ
September 18th, 2009
2:01 pm
Melinda –
Come on, there’s no place on this blog for well thought out, rational posts that make sense. We’re having too much fun arguing over calendar days!! You really need to start calling someone else stupid and screaming at folks if you want to “contribute” here.
Seriously though…good post.
Cane96
September 18th, 2009
2:01 pm
Funny how all of you GT fans were blwoing the ESPN bogs up yesterday, and now you’re hunkered down in the Journal looking for answers. It’s easy, you were overrated, the offense was exploited, and your defense is poorly conditioned. The question is can you correct your deficiencies before the next game. I pretty sure that I speak for all Canes fan when I say that I hope you do, so that way we look that much better for serving that @$$ whooping last night. Be greatful that randy Shannon has class, because we could have run the score up even higher at the end.
Hey Dogtards
September 18th, 2009
2:02 pm
I don’t know that this loss is an indictment against PJ and his offense as much as it is our o-line and d-line.
Miami’s D-Line dominated our O-Line. Miami’s O-Line dominated our D-Line. Their QB is good enough to make throws when given 5-8 seconds each time, and their WRs are fast enough to get open given 5-8 seconds, especially if we are running a zone or man-to-man on one of them.
It has nothing to do with “figuring out” Paul Johnson’s offense. No offense would have had 100 yards rushing with the way our line played last night. No offense could have moved the ball passing either. No defense could have contained Miami’s passing offense with the little pressure we were getting on Harris.
It’s that simple. It all starts on the line and ours had a really bad game on both sides of the ball. Any system would have lost the game.
JB
September 18th, 2009
2:03 pm
I kinda roughed up Tech some earlier today, but I’m not here to do that now. Tech has issues just like Georgia has issues. the stars really have to line up right and your roster has to be full of special players to win 11-12 games. Tech is not there. Georgia is not there. I think Tech fans realize this is only year two.
Johnson needs depth and some upgrade at certain positions. I do think he need to improve his passing game. If you’re only going to throw 12 times or so a game, you need complete 8 or so. Tech’s passing game works WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE TO PASS. The offense is feast or famine.
Tech must upgrade both line to WIN 11-12 games.
slick
September 18th, 2009
2:03 pm
Enlighten me please AZ Jacket.
Butts Wagner
September 18th, 2009
2:12 pm
“Tech didn’t spend any time getting ready for Jacksonville St.”
Actually Slick, if you go back and read CPJ’s comments, they did spend the last two weeks of practice preparing for Jax St. He also said they’d worry about Clemson the next week, etc etc. It may have been coachspeak, but it is what he said.
GTee
September 18th, 2009
2:17 pm
I’ve seen several comments about CPJ’s “are you stupid” comment caught on camera. Every football coach I had from age 12 on up would’ve said the same if not worse to us. This is football not dance class.
This team has played with intensity for only two quarters this entire season, that’s it. It’s time to see what kind of coach Johnson really is. I think he’s up to the task. My question, is Wommack? It’s hard to recall a defense that looked as bad as Tech’s did last night.
Did we even touch Jacory Harris last night?
Mo Mo
September 18th, 2009
2:18 pm
Mr. Paul Johnson is a real good man. He knowed he had some stupid players and he tell them. Mo Mo loves that oven-baked potted meat. Mr. Paul Johnson loves it too. We both love it for years. It works, you don’t change what works. Mr. Paul Johnson don’t change what works either. You people don’t need to upset Mr. Paul Johnson telling him it don’t work. He love that oven-baked potted meat & he love his offense. They both work, so leve him alone. Winning ball games aint all there is.It don’t make no difference how many he lose if he beat georgia.
mexdawg
September 18th, 2009
2:21 pm
My,my,my…you dirt dobbers just got beat like a red headed stepchild.I can’t wait till we get a shot at you in November.Oh I’m enjoying this as much as a dawg victory.Where in the hell are m and st. simmons now.You guys are real funny.Don’t worry in November we are gonna put you out of your misery for good.LET THE BIG DAWG EAT.
go to www.altshirt.org
September 18th, 2009
2:22 pm
Mo Mo
hahahahahahahahahahaha ROFLMAO !!
Patrick
September 18th, 2009
2:24 pm
AZ Jacket, it doesn’t take too much time to put the North Avenue Trade School fans in their place. What did you major in – plumbing, heating & AC, auto maintenace or electrical wiring? You clowns just love to dish it out but sure have a problem with taking it. I can assure you that there are twice as many Yech trash talkers in the UGA blogs than the UGA fans that we are seeing in this one. I can’t wait to see the size of the mudhole that VT will stomp in your little junior college team. Putz.
Ezekiel
September 18th, 2009
2:24 pm
What is very perplexing is the way that Tech players seem to lack energy, are tired in the 1st quarter and don’t give a lot of effort. That has nothing to do with the talent level or what kind of offense we are running. Going to be interesting to see what Paul Johnson does moving forward from here. For more on Tech football visit: http://www.bbuzzoff.com
Patrick
September 18th, 2009
2:30 pm
So I guess the Yech players needed huge gulps of Red Bull instead of Gatorade???? Red Bull would have given them wiiiiiiiinnnnngs!!!!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa!!!!! (((((((33 – 17))))))))
Tech82
September 18th, 2009
2:30 pm
JJ – You’re right. Slick isn’t going to get it no matter how many times you try to explain it. Move on to the next argument.
slick
September 18th, 2009
2:38 pm
Dude, I get it. As a matter of fact I’m arguing the same point as you guys. It’s the guy who keeps changing his screen name from “Duh and JJ are both idoits” to “slick not so slick” to JJ, Slick, et all” who doesn’t get it. If you go back and ready the “Slick” posts you’ll see that. 3 games – 15 days, trust me I get it.
murfdawg
September 18th, 2009
2:38 pm
If the GT players got tired in the scrimmage against JaxSt, then how in the world did they come out of the gate against Clemson and score 24 points in the first qtr? Oh I remember. The offense scored 10 points, the special teams scored 7, and the refs gave them 7 on an illegal play. Then they come out and drive the ball 45 yards in 10 plays against Miami for three points and now they are tired. Good grief what a bunch of whiners!!
UGA Fan
September 18th, 2009
2:45 pm
I disagree with all the fans that say the triple option has been figured out. It has been figured out for years both how to run it and how to stop it. Miami’s fron 7 was better than GT’s OL same as LSU.
The DEs managed to get in the backfield which takes away one pitchman, leaving the back pitchman to string it out to the sideline if possible where quick LBs can run him down, or forcing the QB up the center. Assuming the DE does not just get to the QB before a play can be made. The passing game was not generating enough to force Miami to drop people into coverage.
H.S. Offense? please point to a team that runs it.
Furman Bisher
September 18th, 2009
2:51 pm
Paul Johnson is still one of the greatest coaches ever. Also, in my day to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say.
Get off of my lawn.
gtlinz
September 18th, 2009
2:59 pm
Any coach deserved time to build his program. This offense under CPJ has yet to see a functional offensive line, and that will take time. He won 9 games last year because of a strong D line and an offense that was sometimes spectular and other times sputtering. What I saw during the Clemson game was what I feared – way too much time for an opposing qb to throw. Everyone has swallowed to koolaid too quickly, and 7-8 wins is reasonable this year. I have confidence this will all be fine, and the rivalry is ugay is back on. Go Gators !!!
Georgia Tech Virgin
September 18th, 2009
3:01 pm
The game is long over, but I’m still handling my johnson.
IF you know what I mean.
GA Tech Insider
September 18th, 2009
3:08 pm
It amazes some of you get sucked into this black hole that Mark Bradley and Company starts every time the Jackets have a bad game, saying the Paul Johnson’s offense may be to blame, which is intended to give the Bulldog nation something to feel good so they can jump up and down on it like they have something to throw nasty comments about GA Tech.
It takes their mind off of the fact that Georgia got beat by Oklahoma State, a team that got beat by Houston; it takes their mind off of the fact that Georgia gave up nearly 40 points to South Carolina, at UGA no less, to a team that barely beat NC State and which scored less than 17 points against them; and it takes their mind off of the fact that they’re headed to Arkansas to play a pretty good Bobby Petrino team (that makes me want to throw up in my mouth) that has a good shot at beating them and sending the Georgia Bulldogs home to Athens with 1 win and 2 losses.
GA Tech’s players have just come off of a hard summer of practice, classes started and then three games in 12 days, with the third game being an away game with a team that had played one game 10 days prior, was playing at home, and knew how to play on that horrible field. Also, give Miami some credit; they have a really good team.
Give the Jackets some credit, too. At the end of the first half, they could have been down 17 – 10 if the Roddy Jones touchdown run wouldn’t have been called back. Keeping the game close may have changed the entire complexity of the game; we’ll never know.
What we got out of the game is that Josh Nesbitt can pass the ball; Demaryius Thomas can catch the ball; GA Tech has a punter who can get the ball out there; and Orwin Smith can return kickoffs.
So now we can wait and see if the team can catch its collective breath, trying to heal from all of the cuts and scrapes from that awful field and bumps and bruises from the tough game against Miami, and refocus their energy back at what will make them the team that they want to be, in spite of what all of the naysayers may be throwing out there about them.
Let’s give the boys a couple of days to rest up and get their feet back under them before we give up on them and please, Jacket fans, don’t get caught up by Mark Bradley and Company trolling for controversy. The bulldog nation doesn’t need the headlines to insult the team, and any of you buying in to it, or responding to their taunting, just adds to their fun.
We have a game to get ready for a week from Saturday, and they have a game to start get ready for tomorrow. They can either strut around like peacocks or pout like babies after the game against Arkansas, depending on the score, and it won’t make a difference to me. It won’t matter one iota on how I will feel about my Yellow Jackets.
THWG
R Ball
September 18th, 2009
3:14 pm
Loved Nesbit throwing the ball out of bounds of fourth down last night on our last drive. Now people will forget about me.
Patrick
September 18th, 2009
3:16 pm
New York strip steaks for the grill…………………………$108.00
Crab legs for the boiling water……………………………..$ 84.00
Corona Light for the cooler………………………………….$ 46.00
Watching GT get their butts handed to them…………..PRICELESS!!!!!
JACKETS SORRY
September 18th, 2009
3:17 pm
IF REGGIE HAD BIN QWARTERBACKEN THE JACKETS WUD HAV ONE DA GAME. ITS A CONSPIRISY AGAINST BLACK QWARTERBAX BY BLANK AND JONSIN THAT CAWSEZ US TO HAV BAD QB PLAY. JAYBO AINT NO GOOD AND DONT NEED TO BE ON DA FEELD.
Panties in a wad
September 18th, 2009
3:17 pm
Furman stick to golf and quit embarrassing yourself.
where is the D you need it?
September 18th, 2009
3:17 pm
The perfect option is infinitely variable. Except last night.
Panties in a wad
September 18th, 2009
3:20 pm
The real one. Not Grandpa Simpson there.
how2fish
September 18th, 2009
3:23 pm
The French play better defense than Tech has the last two weeks..
RomeDawg
September 18th, 2009
3:34 pm
That blur you just saw was Mark Bradley jumping off the Paul Johnson bandwagon. Dwyer for Heisman!
Sid
September 18th, 2009
3:41 pm
Will someone awaken Mr. Bisher and tell him how poorly a CPJ coached team played? “Among the greatest” my ass !
Patrick
September 18th, 2009
3:41 pm
GA Tech Insider, that was a very warm, tender, heart-felt and insightful message. Shucks, I actually teared up twice while reading it. You are right. It was the brutal schedule of having to play so many games in such a short time frame. The crummy field condition was also a huge factor and affected GT much more than the Canes. The penalty on the touchdown play was not fair at all. GT has a phenomenal team and should go all the way to the Orange Bowl. It’s not fair, doggone it. Just not fair and I hate it for the normally unstoppable Jackets. GT is so much better than that. I’m feeling you, man……[sniff, wipe]……it’s just not fair…..[chin trembling].
JACKETS SORRY
September 18th, 2009
3:44 pm
IF GA TECH U HAD MORE BLACK PLAYERS AND A BLACK COACH, THEY CUD PUNCH THEY TICKET TO A BOWL GAME!! MAYBE EVEN THE SUPPER BOWL!!!
Miami was smart enough,
September 18th, 2009
3:45 pm
Are the dogs?
74 Dawg
September 18th, 2009
3:45 pm
‘Tech’s Johnson’. That would be Saint Simons or M you are referring to Mark?
Georgia Southern Eagles
September 18th, 2009
3:46 pm
The only football team in the Great State of Georgia that’s worth talking about.
Dawgkicker
September 18th, 2009
3:50 pm
I’ve never seen a bigger collection of pillowbiters and rumpkins in my life than the dawg fans who post on all of these blogs. Probably all sitting around in the cemetary by the cesspool having a little party in a circle.
G. Wayne Clough
September 18th, 2009
3:53 pm
This football program is a helluva disaster!!
GT4Ever
September 18th, 2009
4:00 pm
You can’t satisfy everyone. That’s magnified a 10,000 fold in the national sports spotlight. Some want so badly for the option to work and some said it will never work. It’s always going to be game to game debate over this until it proves itself in one way or the other. One great game and all the bandwagoners speak volumes on CPJ. One bad game and all the naysayers proclaim, ” I told you so”. Only time will tell. It’s CPJ’s second season nad there’s a lot to prove. Look at Michigan. They stunk it up last year and now they beat ND this year. Granted who knows how good ND is but they did win.
Systems like the the spread and the option take time to install and run effectively. They also need players that fit the two. Rodriques and Johnson had to totally revamp their teams. They’re just starting to find the talent to make their system’s work.
There are going to be a lot of mistakes with CPJ due to a foreign offense all being thrown at these guys. As with all sports, I want greatness now. It doesn’t work that way with CPJ’s offense. He’s said it before, it’s going to take a couple of years to make it work. He has to have the right people to run the offense to perfection.
Last year’s success may have been too much for GT to handle. Now everyone expects the team to be world beaters. Our OL still is an issues, obviously!!! Just like any other offense, if you don’t block you’re not going to be successful. Last night was proof of that.
Us GT fans just have to be patient. We’ve seen glimpses of greatness. To all you nayayers, only time will tell. Don’t sell it out just yet. Two 1/2 games doesn’t prove anything. Just look at what Navy did to OSU. Of course, they’ve been running it for years now.
Toates
September 18th, 2009
4:01 pm
Yep, GT loses, the Dawg fans on the level of the GT Trolls come out and throw it right back in there faces, while the most guilty ones aren’t even showing their faces due to embarrassment.
Why don’t the guilty GT trolls just face the plate of crow in front of them and move on? It is one game. If you all fold after one game, your team is not talented, your coaching staff is less talented and you need to accept that. If you have any balls under that stinger of yours, your team, your fans and the smack talk might be able to step up and stand up for yourself.
If not, well… you got a long year ahead.
As for throwing out the bogus BS about UGA and their games played? Sounds like a teenager who thinks he is being witty and smart, when in fact, it is sad.
We shall see what UGA is made of. But before you whine about 12 or 13 days, UGA started on the road at Stillwater, and are playing on the road at Fayetteville, not the closes venues to play in. Travel takes a little out of a team, by the way, and is part of the game.
So quit making excuses, whining and just support your team. Trying to flame back at the trolls just fuels the fire. But then again, I probably am talking to 18 year olds and this won’t make sense.
The hell with Tech, Go Dawgs! But I say that as a fan.
Habersham Dawg
September 18th, 2009
4:03 pm
Are Tech fans that stupid?
Teams do not play 3 games in 21 days. Now, take off your shoes and lets count together… In this demonstration, we will take a look at UGA’s schedule to prove a point. Ready, ok!
Oklahoma State 9/5/2009
South Carolina 9/12/2009
Arkansas 9/19/2009
Did you kiddos count that with your fingers and toes? Good job! You are right! 9/5/2009 to 9/19/2009 makes a total of 15 days! Now you can quit making the lame excuse about playing 3 games in 13 days and being tired.
Man up.
Cane55
September 18th, 2009
4:12 pm
Mr. Bradley,
I would appreciate some sort of apology to Randy Shannon and to Miami fans for basically trashing them in your blog before the game. If not that then at least som sort of admission of being way off on your breakdown of the game.
GT4Ever
September 18th, 2009
4:12 pm
Not even Deon in his Prime Time could cover a WR if the QB had all day to throw. No pass rush = lots of yards and points. Our secondary played pretty well last year because we had mor ethan one person that could sack the QB.
Patrick
September 18th, 2009
4:26 pm
GT4Ever, stop with the lame excuses. Your junior college team had their butts handed to them by a much, much better and faster team. Welcome back down to earth, smack talker. Now maybe you’ll learn to tone down your keyboard in future blogs. Oh, wait!!! Miami just scored again!!!!! Putz.
StingerSplash
September 18th, 2009
4:34 pm
Mark B,
It may be a stretch to say PJ takes things personally. He’s a little more thick-skinned than that.
Granted, this is the offense he created so any questions of it are in essence questions of him.
Tech’s offense had a good first drive. Does that mean Miami made adjustments after that? No. What it means — and this is quite unusual, applying this word to anything the Hurricanes do — is their discipline on defense was strictly enforced. Tech missed some blocks, yes, but Miami carried out its assignments better than just about anybody else who has faced Tech in PJ’s 16 games on The Flats.
It’s disingenuous to say anyone has “figured out” the option. You don’t “figure it out.” There is no special formula. It’s a matter of adhering to your assignments, play in and play out. Teams that do that stand a better chance against than teams that don’t. Teams that don’t get 472 rushing yards dropped on them.
But the larger questions shouldn’t be for Tech’s offense. They should be reserved for Tech’s defense, or the rather faint copy of it that played Thursday night. Jacory Harris had enough time back there to take a differential equations final. He could be calm and poised because there was no pressure, at least none applied by a Tech pass rush that wasn’t close to being a figment of the imagination.
StingerSplash
September 18th, 2009
4:38 pm
And as for CPJ’s “Are you stupid?” comment … Let’s hear from Coach Dan Hawkins of the Colorado Buffalos.
“Go play intramurals, brother.”
Good Lord. PJ didn’t question his ancestry or orientation. He asked him a simple question. He didn’t call him stupid. He asked him if he was stupid.
And getting a false start penalty on a two-point play when the snap count never really changes is kinda dumb.
Not Disappointed!
September 18th, 2009
4:42 pm
Miami did a wonderufl Job and are back! We missed some good opportunities to score and calls didn’t help, but they won. The quarterback appears to be calm and doesn’t make many mistakes.
Nesbit made some good throws that weren’t caught. Even our star receiver dropped a few ones.
Good luck Miami and I hope they win it all! They looked that good. Represent the ACC!
Good weekend all! “Die Hard Jackets for Life!”…….