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
atl xmen
November 5th, 2009
11:23 pm
sorry 1-7
Pi$$onaDawg
November 5th, 2009
11:34 pm
Bill King wants you to show yor body art to get Tickets to a UGA football game. How many different ways can a Fake Blonde UGA bimbo have “THIS END UP” tatooed on her butt? Well, I guess she can have “JUST ADD BEER THEN NO COVER CHARGE NEEDED” tatooed on her lower back.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 5th, 2009
11:37 pm
Maybe a UGA chick can get a 316 TOLL BOOTH Tatooed below her belly botton.
TechMD
November 5th, 2009
11:49 pm
UGA calls our offense “multiple choice” because it keeps em guessing (just like in class).
UGA’s Cox keeps job after – reality check’ | Betting FBCC: Atlanta Falcons
November 6th, 2009
12:31 am
[...] Johnson’s the best PJ’s adjustments haven’t included sending this guy in motion — yet. It was the night of Oct. [...]
Todd
November 6th, 2009
12:55 am
here’s how Johnson’s offense hurts recruiting:
Many high school football players with division I abilities will aspire to play pro ball at some point. (Sure this is unrealistic, but it is what they believe when they’re 17/18 yrs old.)
This triple option is non-existent at the pros, so recruits will prefer to attend a school with a pro-set offense. Hence Tech will continue to get the second rate recruits.
Johnson has shown that he can win at difficult places. He has proved his ability to coach. However, his system will hurt recruiting…no doubt about it.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 6th, 2009
12:59 am
TODD call me in 5 years and lets see where the players are in the DRAFT. A Willie D player or a Paul O player?
Pi$$onaDawg
November 6th, 2009
1:01 am
I am sorry Willie will not be at UGA but CJP will be after 5 yrs.
Bob
November 6th, 2009
1:07 am
LSU was the only legit team Tech faced under Johnson.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 6th, 2009
1:45 am
BOB is your wife’s name kNeal? or is that just his job?
Gt4ever
November 6th, 2009
9:15 am
Todd, If you have the ability to play Pro ball, pro ball will be in your future. Enough of this nonsense about this high school offense that we run. That is total CRAPOLA… You UGA fans are just wishing and hoping that CPJ can’t recruit, he has already proven he can coach!
Gt4ever
November 6th, 2009
9:21 am
Todd, WE DO NOT run the triple option…. I mean, please get a clue before you put it down in print!
DirtyDawg
November 6th, 2009
10:08 am
Hey Jordon, and those that challenge my assertion that in this system, it’s not so much the ‘play-calling’, it’s the QBs decisions and execution. As for when Paul Johnson calls on them to pass…duh?…when they’re loading up the box…stopping, or over-playing, the inside hand-off, the keeper and the pitch…you fling it – long – and Nesbitt’s got the perfect arm for it. You may not accept it, but Nativebird does.
I’ve got to say that since the latter part of last season – or more accurately, since the Georgia game – it’s been amazing…predictable, but still amazing – to witness the reaction of Tech fans. I don’t necessarily include my Tech friends in this because we have always had fun relationships about the rivalry – OK some of ‘em I’d like to pinch their heads off sometimes, but we are, first, friends. But for the majority of those that post – here and elsewhere – or that you see and hear at games, the attitude of superiority and arrogance is always just below the surface, but sometimes, and especially now, bubbles over into obnoxiousness. Maybe that’s just the way fans from any school are when things are going well, and since Tech has had so few opportunities, they may feel they have to make up for lost time.
Just remember, and don’t you dare try to deny it. Unless you were the all-time huckster Tech guy – and that includes Dr. Sid – Taz Anderson, none of you were all that happy about the selection of Paul Johnson. I couldn’t find a single Techie that wasn’t leery of the choice…doubted the offense…that didn’t think it was an acknowledgment that you guys were settling for less. I tried to convince everyone that Johnson and his offense was for real, but you would have none of it. And regardless of how many ‘m’s’ I happened to have put in Ham(m), and regardless of the differences you say are in this offense than the one they ran at Georgia Southern, it was option football with the primary difference being the way you line up and who goes in motion…and it was absolutely wonderful to watch when ‘executed’ well.
Now you guys act as if you invented the damn thing…that you knew all along that Johnson was the right guy…that this ushers in a new era of Tech superiority that will, no doubt, put you guys in the same class – in terms of arrogance – as the University of Florida. We’ll see.
As I’ve said before, it’s good thing you guys are into building stuff, cause you’ve really had to churn out the extra cars for the ‘bandwagon’. Don’t worry, Marta will probably find a use for ‘em when you’re through with ‘em…shoot the paint won’t even be scratched much…or better yet you can convert ‘em into those trolleys that you use to shuttle students around – even to take your players back and forth to the Atlanta University Complex for those courses they need to stay eligible – or are you still just ignoring it when they aren’t – eligible, that is?
Steady GT Fan
November 6th, 2009
10:22 am
I have to admit that when Paul Johnson was hired I wasn’t sure how I would like his offense or whether it would be competitive. Another recent article spoke about how the west coast did not like the wish bone because, although it was effective at winning ball games, it was not exciting for the fans. I think this was one of my fears as well. Do you remember how it was called “three yards and a cloud of dust”?
The reality is that from a fans perspective, this offense is terrific. It is fascinating to watch this team offense, work its magic against the defenses. We can grind it out if necessary but most of the time we are moving the ball well. At any time, and generally several times a game we bust one loose for a huge gain. I great to watch and even more fun than watching a passing attach. Its fascinating.
The great thing for me is that I go to the games knowing that if the boys execute the offense, we have a great chance of scoring and staying in the game. We have a chance to win every game and that makes going to Bobby Dodd a lot of fun.
If we get behind, as we have in several games, we have several things working of us. Adjustments yes but also it seems to me that the defenses get very tired defending us and as the second half rolls along they either wear down or give up and it only takes one missed tackle for another score.
As a fan, I thoroughly enjoy watching this team (players and coaches) giving everything they have got to win the Next Game.
fpm
November 6th, 2009
11:00 am
recs yards avg TD longest yds/game
A.J. Green 44 732 16.6 6 65 91.5
Demaryius Thomas 34 823 24.2 5 73 91.4
yep, option right, option left, up the middle.
Mark
November 6th, 2009
1:00 pm
You got to admit Mark, that the Bark Madly was agreat moniker…it was almost as good as the Yappo scam…
cpjismyhero
November 6th, 2009
1:48 pm
TELL’UM YELLOW FUZZ
GO JACKETS!
GeTalife
November 6th, 2009
2:11 pm
no punts in the second half of the last four games is pretty impressive.
the 5 turnovers isn’t. dwyer dropped 4 of them.
Yellow Fuzz
November 6th, 2009
2:58 pm
Todd,
The only thing that hurts our recruiting is C-A-L-C-U-L-U-S but we can deal with it.
“This triple option is non-existent at the pros, so recruits will prefer to attend a school with a pro-set offense. Hence Tech will continue to get the second rate recruits”.
We don’t run the triple option but if we did, it surely wouldn’t have an affect on the top
DE,
DT,
LB,
CB,
S
K
P
C
OG
OT
TE
WR
RB
FB
“Athlete”
“Mobile QB’s”
You’re just jealous that georgia is about to suffer great recruiting losses in the years ahead and there is nothing the dog nation can do about it. Especially in state. You guys hate an even playing field don’t you?
LOL
George P Burdell
November 6th, 2009
3:47 pm
My favorite comment about Paul Johnson calling plays came from a Navy Man, “You got 50,000 people guessing and one guys that knows exactly what is about to happen!”
He is a good fit for Tech and I hope we enjoy him for a long long time.
macrotech
November 6th, 2009
3:52 pm
I confess, that I wasn’t as excited about the choice of CPJ getting the job as I was that we were moving away from the most recent regime. Like many, I had some reservations about CPJ’s offense at this level…those reservations are now GONE and I’m LOVING the reality of it’s effectiveness at this point!!! DAMN GLAD TO CPJ!!! GO TECH!!!
DirtyDawg
November 6th, 2009
5:58 pm
Hey yallerfuzz…even playing field? Hell, I’m just glad I can finally get an ‘even bet’ with you people. I personally would never take points from one of you guys, but that never stopped you if we were to have something riding on the game other than ‘Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate’.
tampabound
November 6th, 2009
6:47 pm
CPJ will win a national championship at GT. ..if I were one of you writers, I would already be working on the rights to the book and movie, watch this SEC
Phillip
November 6th, 2009
9:11 pm
EASTSIDE JACKET- I am a life long Tech fan. I was at Grant Field for the Tech win over Alabama when Bama was #1. Bear Bryant was the one who said that when you pass the ball three things can happen, and two are bad. If you will give a little thought to it, when you run the ball, 4 things can happen, and THREE ARE BAD……GO Jackets!!!!
bigdawg
November 7th, 2009
1:55 am
Ramble On:
Thanks for the link, the Dawg Pound runs the Youtube TTC, no GT representation though…wonder why……
Wait till my GT hate week vids, you will really like me then.
Link on bro!
Walter Schellenbier
November 7th, 2009
2:07 am
Just a minor detail: I remember that GT did punt once more in the Miss State game with around 1 minute left in the 4th quarter.
@ Tu87 and Just The Facts: When he says “the Jackets haven’t punted in a second half since.” he means that the Jackets haven’t punted in the second half in any game AFTER the Miss State game. The games you mentioned all occurred before the Miss State game.
Dawg4Ever
November 7th, 2009
9:01 am
I can’t get over how giddy Tech fans are for being ranked 10th in the nation and beating UGA once in 8 years…….but I will say it again….mediocrity flows through the Yellow Jacket fans veins! UGA is pissed with this year and we wouldn’t be happy to be where Tech is sitting either…..thats the difference in the programs! And I know Paul Johnson from Statesboro (GSU)…..he has never done anything but win a D-1AA title…..nothing with the big boys! And Paul Johnson best play caller????? Stupid ass comment…..(Spurier, Saban, Meyer, Brown, Carroll) hell i could go on all day til i got to Paul…….and Oh yea…..Paul’s gotta relate to videio games…..cause he never played college football………lol
GTRich
November 7th, 2009
9:08 am
Yellow Fuzz, what is wrong with you UGa guys?? We keep on explaining to you that recruiting will not get worse, will even get better as we get a winning program going. We also explained that CPJ can take good, not great players, and make great winning teams out of them. Can’t you get that? This is like explaining evolution to a bunch of morons and as soon as you are done someone asks again “who picked the apple?”. Learn and move on. Come on man!!!
Dawg4Ever
November 7th, 2009
9:18 am
I’m gonna call Wake Forrest beats Ga Tech today……….and watch all the Jacket fans call for Paul Johnson’s head……It’s funny watching Jacket fans think they have a great team…..middle of the pack at best…wow!
KT
November 7th, 2009
9:53 am
RUN right, RUN left, or RUN up the middle. How can you muck that up?
Best play caller? Please…
Robert
November 7th, 2009
10:23 am
Not saying that this guy is or is not a great play caller
All I am saying is that adulation comes from a man who thinks Bobby Cox is the best manager in baseball
If an idiot says they think so and so is a genius, what exactly does that say about the purported genius?
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
11:35 am
How did Reggie Ball do in Calculus?
The fac is the very gimmick that gives Tech its success now will eventually be its undoing. No player with any talent is going to go to Tech and run an offense that will leave him unprepared for the NFL.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 7th, 2009
12:00 pm
We will just stop playing football at Tech after this year because we just can’t get any players to come to the Flats. HHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
12:18 pm
lol.
GTRich,
Preaching to the choir dude.
Dawg4Ever,
Did you “call” 45-52 too?
KT,
Maybe you should ask Paul Johnson’s peers and not dog nation bloggers who have been smacked down so many times over the last 12 months that they are on their 3rd and 4th screen names.
Robert
Bobby Cox may not be the best manager in MLB but he IS going into the Hall of Fame as a manager and there are only 17 ahead of him at present.
“If an idiot says they think so and so is a genius, what exactly does that say about the purported genious”. That would apply to you as well right?
Frank Wren,
I know Reggie Ball but do not know how he did in Calculus.
“The fact is the very gimmick that gives Tech its success now will eventually be its undoing. No player with any talent is going to go to Tech and run an offense that will leave him unprepared for the NFL”. Hahahaha.
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
12:33 pm
We will just stop playing football at Tech after this year because we just can’t get any players to come to the Flats. HHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
It wont be as quick as that. It will take 3 or 4 years.
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
12:36 pm
Dawg4Ever
We don’t have the same coaches we had 8 years ago dude and we didn’t just beat you last year by 3 points. You had a 16 point lead at the half! We TORCHED your azz in the second half worse than Sherman could have burned your trailer park. Last time I checked, 4-4 was borderline “mediocrity”. LOL. The difference in our programs is not that we’re happy being 10th in the nation and that would piss you off (LOL, you’re 104th now dude). The difference in the programs is our new coaches have our program on the rise in less than 2 years and your fan base has yours free falling. 45-42 was not only against a “big boy” it was against YOU big boy! In your own back yard in front of your moma and daddy. Lastly Paul Johnson was hired by Tech to turn around the football program not relive his past like the dog nation does. I don’t care if he was the head custodian at uga, as long as he can coach and call a game the way he does I have no problem. Welcome to the present azzhole (45-42). See you in the future (November 28th “Pound the Hound”! STFU and show a little respect for the Tech Nation!
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
12:38 pm
I know Reggie Ball but do not know how he did in Calculus.
Thats because he didnt take it. Techs graduation rate for football players is like 48 percent and I dont think the basketball program has graduated anybody in years. Yet Tech fans live in this delusional world were all their student athletes are Rhodes scholars or something. It really is funny.
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
12:40 pm
Tech Nation!
What all 500 of you? You guys cant even sell out your small stadium without giveing away hot dogs.
Dont worry the natural order of things will soon be returned. See you at Athens east in Nov !!!
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
1:00 pm
Frank Wren,
Last time I checked David rocked Goliath’s world similar to 45-42
At least OUR fan’s get their money’s worth at home games. Think of how ripped off the dog fans have felt inside Sanford Stadium (Tech’s home away from home) the last two years. That’s probably why they trash the campus. lol. At least Tech people can throw the wrapper of a free hot dog in the trash. lol.
Look me up November 28th. I tailgate near the right field foul pole of the baseball field. Tan colored tent. Small guy wearing a white tee shirt that says “Yellow Fuzz was Right” on the back of it.
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
1:02 pm
Dawg4Ever
Nice screen name azzhole. You bragging or complaining?
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
1:05 pm
Dog nation,
tell me again why we should scrap our gimick, high school offense and switch your your “pro style” offense.
8-1 > 4-4. Much >
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
1:05 pm
((((( 8-1 > 4-4 ))))) Hahahahahahahahahaha
Yellow Fuzz
November 7th, 2009
1:16 pm
Tennessee Tech special
4 Tickets
4 ex players will clean up you tailgate trash after the game (in striped uniforms and cool ankle bracelets)
4 free 8 track tapes of Harry Munson broadcasts during the Glory Years (“run Lindale”)
4 free Weedwacker twine rolls
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
1:33 pm
tell me again why we should scrap our gimick, high school offense and switch your your “pro style” offense.
because your gimmick offense will limit the kind of players you will be able to get and catch up to you shortly.
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
1:33 pm
(“run Lindale”)
Its Run Lindsey. As in Lindsey Scott.
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
1:35 pm
4 ex players will clean up you tailgate trash after the game (in striped uniforms and cool ankle bracelets)
No I think they got the Tech players who were selling dope to do it this game.
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
1:36 pm
(Tech’s home away from home)
Huh?
Frank Wren
November 7th, 2009
1:42 pm
UGA is 23 – 8 over the last 31 games against Tech. Im no Nerd but thats about 1 out of 4.
Dont you have to win more often than that to even call it a rivalry?
GTRich
November 7th, 2009
1:54 pm
Framk Wren – If I were you I wouldn’t bring up graduation rates because UGA is even worse at #214 Georgia 41%. So people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Also Tech is a much tougher school to graduate from than UGA, we don’t have cow branding and animal husbandry courses. Also not every player who plays varsity sport.wants to go on to a pro career. The majority of college players do not go on to the pro ranks. Many students just want to play some football, get a scholarship and get am education. I would hope that most of Ga Tech’s athletes are in that category. Why am I even wasting my time talking with twit like you.
The_Geek
November 8th, 2009
9:34 am
//Dont you have to win more often than that to even call it a rivalry?//
I don’t know, what do you call Florida / Georgia then?