Tech’s Paul Johnson: The best playcaller in the business
PJ's adjustments haven't included sending this guy in motion -- yet. (Brant Sanderlin, AJC)
It was the night of Oct. 3. Georgia Tech was playing Mississippi State in Starkville. With 9:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jackets punted.
I mention this for a reason. That was more than a calendar month ago, and the Jackets haven’t punted in a second half since. Not at Florida State. Not against Virginia Tech. Not at Virginia. Not at Vandy.
Eight quarters of football. Not one second-half punt. And you know what this says?
Paul Johnson is the archduke of adjustments.
We hear announcers talking about them all the time. We hear Erin Andrews and her sideline-reporting ilk ask, “Coach, what adjustments will you make at halftime?” Ninety-five percent of the time coaches wind up doing the same thing in the second half as they did in the first.
Not PJ. He tweaks. He brings a guy in motion from a different angle. He splits a guy a tad wider. He runs the same stuff, only slightly differently. And Tech’s offense goes from powerful in the first half to unstoppable in the second.
You might ask Willie Martinez about this. Last November Georgia went from leading 28-12 at halftime to trailing 35-28 — in the span of seven minutes and five seconds. The Bulldogs had the game in hand, and suddenly they were chasing it. (And once PJ gets ahead, forget it. Tech is 8-1 the past two seasons in games decided by five or fewer points.)
“He’s not really coaching,” says Wayne Hogan, the pithy Tech associate AD. “He’s playing a video game!”
And that’s it exactly. Johnson figures stuff out on the fly. Even if the opponent seems to havee a handle on his stylized offense, he performs his little ju jitsu. He wears a headset on the sideline, but it’s just for show. He could make the same mid-course corrections wearing earmuffs.
We’ve known for a while he’s an outstanding head coach, but what sometimes gets lost is that he’s the best playcaller in the business. Hogan again: “Our coach is pretty cool.” And that’s it, too. To borrow Bob Greene’s description of Frank Gifford, PJ of GT is always the coolest guy in the room — even if the room holds 80,000.
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451 comments Add your comment
gdawginkalamazoo
November 5th, 2009
3:14 pm
Bryan, If Spiller stays healthy and the way SC is playing now I agree. SC hit the go button after our game then slowed down as usual.
Our team doesn’t adjust very well on the fly. Cross that, they don’t even bother adjusting. Just keep doing the same thing, it worked a) that year b) that quarter c) that half d) that series e) that game. And if it didn’t work this time, well it worked all those other times why change now it will probably work again. But if it doesn’t well that’s okay because we know it worked before and we feel pretty good about that.
THE FLYIN V
November 5th, 2009
3:18 pm
The best play caller in football is at OREGON! Johnson’s offense couldn’t put up 200 yds and 14 pts against USC’s front seven. They have played NO ONE!!!!! MISS ST????? VIRGINIA??? HOW ABOUT USC- 600 on that A$$ and a blow out. What a joke!!! Spread em and Shred em, from the GUN. TECH looked GREAT against MIAMI. HA HA HA. Only time well tell, I think I remember the hype after the Georgia game, what happened to LSU in the big show. DOORS BLOWN OFF by bigger stronger faster and better coached team.
TennTech?
November 5th, 2009
3:20 pm
Stingem84,
It is little more than a polling ploy. Some top programs use these late season cupcake games to WOW the voters. They run up the score on these small schools to say, “See how good we are.” I do not necessarily disagree with this tactic when you are trying to play the “BCS game”. The question should then be, why do we have a system in place that encourages this? Just strengthens my desire for a playoff… begin the debate!
WTH
November 5th, 2009
3:20 pm
Brad,
There are 3 seniors on the offensive depth chart (2 starters) and 2 seniors on the defensive depth chart (1 starter).
Tech75
November 5th, 2009
3:23 pm
gdawginkalamazoo – boy, you got to get a shorter handle. Half of my post is just typing your handle!
Nativebird
November 5th, 2009
3:24 pm
Here we go, if one doesn’t agree that 2nd year GT CPJ isn’t the greatest playcaller “in the business”, then one doesn’t know anything about football. THIS is exactly what’s wrong with ‘nose-up-butts’ homer blogs like your’s MB: The inablity to actually consider that your team is not the best of all time, played by the best of all time players, coached by the best coach of all time. I suppose when the Jackets lose, (and they have and they will again, albeit hoping its rare), it’s the other team that “cheated”, or the Refs, etc.
Pathetic.
And this from folks who claim they’re the only ones that KNOW anything about football.
WTH
November 5th, 2009
3:24 pm
Calm down Flyin V you better take your blood pressure medicine.
Heath, why don’t you try something original, the same old crap about CPJ leaving and GT having a small stadium is getting tiresome.
F-105 Thunderchief
November 5th, 2009
3:24 pm
Sorry, it was GSC back then.
samson
November 5th, 2009
3:25 pm
He might be the best in the business but he sure is an ugly S.O.B.
Jordan
November 5th, 2009
3:26 pm
Flying V—
You try playing 3 games in 12 days at a high Division I type level and you get back to me on why they lost to Miami.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
November 5th, 2009
3:27 pm
THE FLYIN V – Seriously judging Tech by comparing Oregon’s win over USC to our dominations of Virginia, Miss st…the same USC team that lost to Washington. Washington. I can’t say that enough…Washington. Last year it was Stanford…Stanford. The worst of the SEC would be beacons of football greatness if they played out west…stick to your coffeehouses and bison burgers(thank a Georgian for those) and hush.
GTRich
November 5th, 2009
3:28 pm
It’s simple math really. If this team is averaging 5.3 yds per carry then in a 4 down situation they should be able to pick up 10 yards. It’s funny how some of the dawg fans are calling this offense a high school offense which won’t work in Division 1 football yet the 3 top rushing teams in the nation – GT, Nevada and Navy all run the triple or spread option. If Nesbitt mixes in a few passes to keep the opposition honest this jacket offense will be simply unstoppable. We would not be punting again, ever.
Jordan
November 5th, 2009
3:30 pm
hey NativeBird, I have been your biggest detractor. I am a GEORGIA SOUTHERN fan. Not Georgia Tech. I like seeing them do well especially whenever UGA is in a bad year, because I hate UGA so much for what they did to Erk Russell in the late 80’s.
But that’s beside the point. The point is that only a few people could run that offense. When Paul Johnson left, all the pieces were in place for Georgia Southern to keep winning National Titles, yet Sewak (Tech’s O-Line coach) COULD NOT DO IT. He couldn’t make adjustments on the fly like Paul Johnson can. Watching him make those adjustments first hand, has sealed the argument for me that he is probably the best play caller in America, and I didn’t need some journalist (with all due respect Mr. Bradley) to tell me that.
Now unless you got something else to cry about, then stop complaining that people have their own opinions on the matter.
yellowjacket82
November 5th, 2009
3:30 pm
Flying V…Oregon is very good, but USC would be a 2nd tier team in the ACC or SEC.
the good word
November 5th, 2009
3:31 pm
CPJ is the best !
I sure do like it when “toe meets leather” on a kick off …another score for the Jackets
Stingem84
November 5th, 2009
3:32 pm
Yeah, Tech does that too…we played Vandy! But they are from the mighty SEC. Lets see if UGA can score more than the 56 we scored against Vandy (we could have easily scored another touchdown, but I was glad PJ decided to take a knee even with the second stringers in there). Tennessee Tech is a great school, but not much there for football…they will get killed by UGA.
hardmanb
November 5th, 2009
3:37 pm
“The only adjustments you need to make is – we gotta stay inside more…you gotta keep it more…we gotta go outside more…or we gotta throw it down field. I mean how many more ‘adjustments’ do you have?”
I thought it was training the quarterback to “key” on the reactions of certain individual defensive players. As in, “if the linebacker comes up, then don’t give it to the dive back, but keep on holding the ball. If the corner comes up…pitch. If the corner covers the wide runner, then quarterback keeper. The option is not “deciding” the plays, but reacting to the actions of the defense.
The whole point is to overload the individual defensive players responsibilities until they commit, then you take advantage of the opening they give you. Right?
Stingem84
November 5th, 2009
3:40 pm
Nativebird – My bad…I shouldnt have made the comment about you not knowing anything about football…I got carried away. I am the last one in the world to think we have the greatest team, etc, etc. I do think that PJ is a good play caller, but I don’t go as far to say that he is the greatest ever (and MB probably doesnt think it either…it just sounds good and gets the bloggers going). But I think you oversimplify it when you say that there are only 5 plays.
WhiteAndGold
November 5th, 2009
3:40 pm
Jordan, I second that. Unless you watch every down, it is difficult to notice the minor adjustments that he makes to propel this offense in the second half. Let’s also give credit to the players though. You can make all the adjustments in the world, but if the players do not execute correctly, the offense stalls.
Goldminer Tech
November 5th, 2009
3:41 pm
Bark Madly? I had no idea they called you that on the Hive.
I don’t think winning is hard to sell to recruits. Remember, choosing a college is not a 4-year decision, it’s a 40-year decision. If you don’t make it in the NFL, check out our 25-year income numbers vs. almost any other school in the Southeast. It’s VERY strong. The kids from Tech who make it in the NFL won’t be the type to lie around the pool, so they can REALLY make some money after their sports career is over with that uber-valuable Tech degree.
hardmanb
November 5th, 2009
3:48 pm
About those “chess game” comments:
I wonder if PJ’s strategy for the first half is not setup and evaluation.
Run a first half basic game, creating specific expectations in the opposing team, and seeing/evaluating the opponent’s position players reactions to the basic offensive plays.
Then in the second half, making adjustments to take advantage of perceived/revealed weakness and opponent’s learned first half reactions in their individual defensive assignments.
Set them up in the first half with a set of basic expectations, then confuse/shock them with different surprise variations in the second half?
TU87
November 5th, 2009
3:51 pm
My apologizes to Mark about the punt stat – thought he was going back to last year. However a 4 game streak against those opponents hardly makes Johnson the best playcaller.
Nativebird
November 5th, 2009
3:51 pm
CPJ Inner Thoughts: “hmmm, darn, Damaryius was wide open again on that 2nd and 3 skinny post, and Josh once again missed him, wish Josh would work on that accuracy sometime this year. Okay hear we go, let’s pick a good one from this set: Option right, give, toss or go, Option left, give, toss, or go? hmmmm. Well Jonathon sure looks good tonight, let’s go with Option right, give, toss or go…on Two”.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 5th, 2009
3:51 pm
Tech75, it just cuts down on the riff raff that responds to my drivel. You have to do the work to respond. Or you could use the name I am frequently called at home: A-hole. But then it might get mighty confusing on here with some of these posters.
Dawg Fan
November 5th, 2009
3:52 pm
What tweaks did he make in the second half against Miami and Clemson? Probably don’t want to do those again. Tech may be 8-1 but they could just as easily be far worse. Late flag against Clemson saves them from that loss. Against VT, FSU the last team with the ball wins, much like the GA game last year. If it were not for 2 turnovers from Vandy it would been most likely a Vandy win. Man winning games just seems to cloud the truth sometimes. Oh, I won’t even mention LSU in the bowl game. Opps, already did.
Jordan
November 5th, 2009
3:55 pm
TU87, if we sat here and waited for every reason that MB thinks that he is the best playcaller, it would probably take him hours upon hours upon hours of research. He is using this as the main basis of his argument I will grant you, but I’m sure it’s what he has seen with his own eyes that makes him consider PJ the best Playcaller.
Harry B
November 5th, 2009
3:55 pm
To WTH, and all the haters.
I make my comments for the sake of absurdity. Please, dont get SO offended.
I make my comments because of the ravenous dialogue that occurs on these blogs, the pathetic back and forth attacks from people.who want to live in this universe of ajc.com.
People get SOOO upset if someone makes a comment they dont like.
I am merely pointing out the absurdity of such angry and poisonous debate over college football, especially by people who do not matter at all, IE, me, you, and anyone else on here.
The ajc blog has degraded itself into this silly shouting match, its so childish.
Conclusion: In a world where so many bad things occur, how dare you people get so offended over meaningless words about A GAME OF FOOTBALL. This is freedom of speech. This is America.
Would you deny that Tech is mostly a bunch of nerds? Maybe so, but this man will not deny such an obvious truth!
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
November 5th, 2009
3:56 pm
I think I would have to cheer for tech if florida loses a game and tech and florida meet in the Sugar bowl , man that will be rough on me.
not saying it will happen just what if ?
GO DAWGS !!!!!!!!!
Ted Striker
November 5th, 2009
3:57 pm
Mark, you know I’m gonna name my first born son after you but still…Paul Johnson the best? C’mon.
swBUZZman
November 5th, 2009
3:57 pm
Hey Harry B, 45-42! Let that soak in. GT 8-1 UGAG 4-4, let that soak in. Probably going to be 5-7 and not even going to Shreveport. Let that soak in. Willie Martinez and Mike Bobo, let that soak in. If anyone sux it is UgaG, and you swallow as well!
TU87
November 5th, 2009
4:00 pm
Other than Virginia Tech it is against weak competition. Not saying that PJ is not good/great, but the best? I know that compared to UGA any playcaller looks great, but enough of the over-reaction.
Joseph
November 5th, 2009
4:03 pm
The Johnson is and has always been an excellent coach, but I think even CPJ would disagree with your post. The triple option is the triple option anyway you slice it. His players make the adjustments; a monkey could make the play calls. His greatness occurs Sunday through Friday. That toss play is a killer though, I will give him credit for that innovtion.
Yea Sewanee’s Right!
Ben
November 5th, 2009
4:04 pm
Harry B sounds like someone who: a) didn’t get into Tech and is, therefore, bitter, b) didn’t graduate from high school and is, therefore, bitter OR c) went to Georgia and is bitter because their team is in decline. Interesting how people sink to personally low levels over a football discussion. Showing the true class of a Georgia fan.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 5th, 2009
4:04 pm
hardmanb, good point since he knows the offense inside out it wouldn’t be a big adjustment to tweak the plays here and there to break them open for a big gain. I have a feeling that the third qtr against us last year was just that. A lot of work at halftime while our guys were having a hotdog and coke and taking potty breaks.
What are you STUPID?
November 5th, 2009
4:04 pm
Paul Johnson has anger management issues. I don’t think any players want to play for someone with the problems he has.
Hal
November 5th, 2009
4:08 pm
When kids and those who advise them realize that the NFL also has coaches and the only thing they really care about is size and speed Tech will be able to attract top recruits. Ryan Leaf is a good example of one guy with all the physical tools but could never get it together between the ears. Team after team tried. When a guy has size NFL guru’s can always point to that when a guy doesn’t make it to save their butts. They do not care what you did in college. You see it over and over again. It’s happining with Oakland’s QB. So why doesn’t a kid like this offense? If I were a running back I would be knocking down the door to play on Tech’s offense. What are these kids thinking?
RogerDawg
November 5th, 2009
4:09 pm
Hey Geoff you idiot-
How about the fact CMR has NINE total soveriegn awards…how many does CPJ have? ZERO. I didn’t think so. Now shut your mouth.
AtlTiger
November 5th, 2009
4:09 pm
38-3
Paddy
November 5th, 2009
4:10 pm
Theresa…. CPJ is a mean person. He does abuse his wife and children..He is also Tom Cable’s cousin. He summers in Idaho and has never been to church. So whats not to like?
George
November 5th, 2009
4:11 pm
Mark: You in the print media need to discover what the radio folks found out long ago. Back “then” it was alway the first caller who won the prize (I once won a free pizza by being the first to call WQXI). But being first is easy (just ask Florida). The trick is to be the seventh or tenth caller. This assumes that there is some prize awarded. Hey, that’s not a bad idea!
GTOption
November 5th, 2009
4:12 pm
CPJ has no anger management issues! Had you rather a coach show some emotion on the sideline or stand there in a tanned coma? The only ones with anger issues are you Ugag fans! I’d be angry too if we had the so called best players in the land and couldn’t beat the Sisters of the Poor!
Jacket Fan With UGA Degree
November 5th, 2009
4:13 pm
One reason for the low number of punts is that the Jackets have 60 yards of four down territory on the field. That’s pretty cool! Go Jackets!
Gary
November 5th, 2009
4:16 pm
How many times have we seen this message?
More over-reaction and deception by Bradley. To Quote:
” It was the night of Oct. 3. Georgia Tech was playing Mississippi State in Starkville. With 9:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jackets punted.
I mention this for a reason. That was more than a calendar month ago, and the Jackets haven’t punted in a second half since. Not at Florida State. Not against Virginia Tech. Not at Virginia. Not at Vandy.”
They have punted in the 2nd half since that game, just not the 4 that Bradley mentions. This year GTech 2nd half punts: Clemson – 3, Miami –1, North Carolina – 1. And 1 against LSU in the 2nd half last year. Wow, this took me all of 5 minutes going to ESPN and looking at game play by play. Think “journalists” could do better.
All of you who are posting this – did you even look at the schedule? They have not punted since the second half of the Miss State game. All of the second half punts you listed took place before that game. Give it a much needed rest.
Jordan
November 5th, 2009
4:17 pm
LOL, Joseph you are ridiculous, trust me, a monkey could NOT do what he does on Saturdays. Again, after watching Georgia Southern with and without him, the playcalling is his specialty…..that’s what makes him different. Other coaches know how to run it very well including Sewak, but only he knows how to mold it on Saturdays.
yellowjacket82
November 5th, 2009
4:19 pm
RogerDawg is now on our blog. The Blog IQ is plummeting!
Peggy
November 5th, 2009
4:25 pm
You are wrong with this article, Mr. Bradley.
It is my husband who has THE BEST Johnson around, not Georgia Tech.
Stinger
November 5th, 2009
4:26 pm
Great article Mark and right on. Coach Johnson is the best in the Nation. I realized this the second half when Clemson had started to shut our offense down. I recall thinking, maybe these people are right and everyone will learn how to defend us. Then coach Johnson had Nesbitt start keeping the ball and Clemson couldn’t stop it. He gained at least 4 or 5 yds every play and sometimes big gains. It has been downhill for all opponents since then. Now they don’t know if we are going to run the dive, the draw, the keeper, the pitch, or throw the bomb. They know it will be one or the other, but they can’t stop it.
GA Tech Insider
November 5th, 2009
4:28 pm
THE FLYIN V;
Since you seem so enamored with Oregon’s offense versus GA Tech’s, and how well they did against Southern Cal and how poorly you think GA Tech’s would if they played against them, I would suggest that we look at the benchmark of what makes the offense of each team work – their respective QB’s.
Jeremiah Masoli Josh Nesbitt
Passer Rating
129.7 158.7
Completion %
60.6% 47.5%
Yards
1127 1172
Yds/Attempt
7.04 11.60
TD’s
6 6
INT’s
2 3
Yards Rushing
436 763
YPC
6.1 4.1
TD’s
8 13
I’d say all things considered, with Josh being responsible for 19 TD’s and Jeremiah only 14,and then then we look deeper at the statistics to see that Josh has a better yards per attempt average and more yards passing that Masoli, it seems to me that GA Tech’s offense is actually MORE well rounded that Oregon’s now, wouldn’t?
Mike
November 5th, 2009
4:28 pm
This is too much, Mark. Really…the guy has done a better job winning than I thought. Much of that has to do with Chan leaving a stocked shelf in Dwyer, Nesbitt, and Jones. Still…
1) its easy to be the “best playcaller in the country” against Mississippi St., Vandy, Virginia, UNC…come on, man HAHA. These are mediocre teams, Mark. The triple option has always been know to hand it to this sort of competition.
2) Where was this play calling against LSU in the Peach Bowl, Miami, or even Clemson after the first quarter? A questionable holding penalty kept Clemson from a 21 point comeback while the triple option got bottled up.
3) Ask Willie Martinez whatever you want, he has a defense giving up mass points to everyone (Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Tech…saga continues). The Georgia defense is a complete liability for two years now. If Johnson had put up 45 on the 2007 UGA team, or really any of the UGA defenses prior to last year, call me impressed. Otherwise, he is just putting up points on another mediocre defense.
RogerDawg
November 5th, 2009
4:28 pm
yellowjacket82-
Hey nerd….read what I wrote Geoff at 4:09. If you can’t put up a decent arguement, then shutup!