Tech’s spring game does nothing to change its QB rotation
Paul Johnson in a festive Friday mood. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Georgia Tech wrapped it in a nice new package — a spring football game on a Friday night in the big city — but inside was still a spring football game. There was live music (and not just the pep-band stuff) before and after, and there were postgame fireworks, and an announced crowd of 18,125 was on hand to see …
Spring football. Which meant nothing much was revealed.
If you’re a Tech fan and you were hoping for a quarterback to unseat incumbent Tevin Washington, you left disappointed. If you’re a Washington fan and you were rooting for your man to lap the field, you didn’t get your wish. The QB situation at GT remained SQ (status quo): Washington is surely the starter unless/until Synjyn Days or Vad Lee snatches the job from him, and it’s unthinkable that any such theft will occur before the Jackets open at Virginia Tech on Labor Day night.
Let’s be honest: Days, who’ll be a redshirt sophomore, has played little, and Lee, who’ll be a redshirt freshman, hasn’t played in a game — unless you count this episode of Friday Night Lights, which you shouldn’t — since high school. To start either against the Hokies would be foolish, and if there’s one thing Paul Johnson isn’t, it’s a fool.
It isn’t that Days and Lee are untalented. Days is a better runner than Washington, and Lee is a better passer. But the quarterback in Johnson’s offense doesn’t just have to play the game — he has to read it and respond accordingly. The option is predicated, duh, on having options. On familiarity alone, a quarterback who has started 17 collegiate games (winning nine) will surely trump challengers who haven’t proved they know when to keep and when to pitch.
The White led the Gold 3-0 at the half, the three points coming on a 42-yard field goal by David Scully on the final play of the second quarter. (See what happens when you hire a special teams coordinator?) The drive was led by Days, and before then there hadn’t been much driving for either hue.
The second half began with Days changing jerseys — you only get this stuff in a spring game, folks — and fumbling the ball. Corey Dennis returned it for a touchdown to give the White side a 10-0 lead. To that point, the spring game’s real winner had been defensive coordinator Al Groh, who’s no spring chicken.
Washington finally led the White to a touchdown, which was probably best for all concerned. A head coach who prides himself on offensive scheming wouldn’t have been in the mood to appreciate fireworks after a spring game that ended 10-0. And Johnson, as we’ve seen, takes an even more hands-on role on these occasions.
For spring games, PJ stations himself in the middle of the field and call plays for both squads. (On this night he wore blue shorts and a gray hoodie, making him look like Bill Belichick at the beach. Not that Bill Belichick is ever a day at the beach.) In the first half, Johnson used his prime perch to upbraid two offensive linemen who’d missed blocks.
Having migrated from Gold to White, Lee presided over two scoring drives of his own. The White, comprised mostly of the first-string offense, would win 31-7, and it scored while being led by three different quarterbacks. Which meant nothing changed.
If Tech had to play a real game tomorrow, Johnson said Washington would be the starter: “He has the most experience and the best understanding of the offense.” And Days and Lee? “They’re situational players right now. The idea is to make them not be situational players.”
It’s possible to imagine Lee, who does have a nice arm, becoming the Tech quarterback when the Jackets trail by 14 points with five minutes left. It’s also possible to envision Days as a change-of-pace guy. What’s not possible is to imagine either being the No. 1 quarterback come September. That’s still Tevin Washington’s job.
By Mark Bradley
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223 comments Add your comment
Tech Engineer
April 21st, 2012
11:30 am
For the last two years Tech has a losing record against competitive teams, and we’re playing with Johnson’s recruits. Gailey was bringing in NFL quality players and was improving in recruiting each year. Check the NFL rosters. If Gailey had stayed, Tech would be winning.
True Tech
April 21st, 2012
11:42 am
Look at all the rednecks posting. Good grief. Let me tell you something, Tech is going to be just fine. Worry about your own team butt sniffers. Yea, make fun of Tech’s record the past two seasons. Sure, you play in the SEC. Good for you, now go play Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas every year! Oh, and beat them too! lol idiots. It’s like the ole ball coach says, “Georgia gets all these players but what happens with them?” They go to jail, get suspended, transfer… you get the picture. Listen, Tech is never going to recruit on the same level as UGA. UGA is an easier school to get into. More academic programs, it’s in the SEC, more boosters, more alumni. Not excuses, just facts. Fact is PJ is the best thing to happen to Tech in a long time. He is winning and will continue. Get use to it. So bark all you want
Cry me a river
April 21st, 2012
11:43 am
If Gailey stayed, Tech would be winning??? Funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time lol
Joe
April 21st, 2012
11:48 am
18,125 in attendance …. ??????
yeah …. right?
gtfanfrom1951
April 21st, 2012
12:05 pm
Dwag fans be calling for CMR job by the fourth game!
Jacket Man
April 21st, 2012
12:07 pm
atlxman; Tevin Washington, a notoriously bad passer, led the nation for most of the year in passing efficiency and Stephen Hill led the Nation in yards per catch. Demaryous Thomas caught over a thousand yards in a season with another poor passer, Joshua Nesbitt, tossing balls his way.
Vad Lee can pass circles around both of these guys; it’s not even close. Why do you think Paul Johnson started adding in the pistol and shotgun formation last season? I can assure you it was to get Vad on the field. Adding a legitimate passing attack to one of the top three rushing offenses in the country will make these guys a nightmare for opposing defenses to prepare for.
Ghost
April 21st, 2012
12:19 pm
Gtfan, Where do you see Tech improving? Pj certainly has not recruited well , missing on most of his top targets. 14-12 over past 2 season w/o many of the stellar class of 2007 players. You want to compare playing in the ACC with the 70th rated schedule with playing in the SEC with the 28th rated schedule. Georgia 4 losses all came against teams that finished in the top 10. Did I miss something or did Utah, Virginia , miami, finish in top 25? Georgia playing a Tech schedule would more than likely have been undefeated in 2011, tech playing Georgias schedule may have been a 4 -5 win team.31-17 wasn’t that close of a game.Its only my opinion but Pj will turn out to be one of the worst hires in tech history.
gt45
April 21st, 2012
12:40 pm
I saw linebackers who pulled up before crushing qb’s. Attouchu is nearly unstopable, and Hunt-Days will be, before long. Vad looked extremely comfortable throwing the ball. I could tell Synjin was upset with his passing, but he is a heck of a runner. The O lines were in disarray, so it was a hard read to tell if our D line is as good as they looked. I was impressed with the D more than the O.
WnE
April 21st, 2012
12:56 pm
re:
TechMate
April 21st, 2012
7:39 am
I watched the game and wondered how it is that all three QB’s don’t seem to have a clue about how to throw off their back foot. Their footwork is atrocious.
What makes a good passing QB is accuracy. What gives a QB an accurate throw is good fundamentals (watch Tom Brady, Matt Ryan). Without good fundamental footwork, a QB ends us short arming some throws, over throwing others, and seldom putting enough zip on the ball (which comes from pushing off the back foot).
Where are the fundamentals, Coach Johnson?
______________
The QB fundamentals are lacking due to the way CPJ organized his Staff.
There is NO full-time QB coach that works exclusively with QBs on fundamentals & mechanics.
On CPJ’s Staff, the B-Back coach is also the QB coach so that their QBs can be coached more on the “mesh” and “the pitch”; this use of Asst. coaching personnel shows how much commitment CPJ has to developing BCS-level passers and a BCS-level passing game.
Imagine how Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck, or RG-III would have turned out if their QB-coach was also coaching the tailbacks?
Better yet, imagine how much more advanced GT’s passing game would be IF GT had a Asst. coach dedicated to only QBs & QB development.
For as much as we like to poke fun a Mike Bobo at UGA he has done a pretty good job with UGA QBs over the years, we have not seen that at GT, what we have seen is 4 straight years of poor passing by GT QBs.
That leads me to believe that the problem is systematic and is caused by what GT’s Coaches are teaching or are NOT teaching to GT’s QBs .
Like the old saying goes:
“Either you are coaching it or you are allowing it to happen”
I’ve talked about QB fundamentals & QB mechanics and have been criticized and name-called for even bringing up the possibility that CPJ might be doing something wrong with his use of Asst. Coaches.
Be careful for asking the kind of questions & making the kinds of comments that you made above, you might be attacked by the BLTs also.
BLT
April 21st, 2012
1:30 pm
That’s not why people “attack” you WnE and you know it. Have a nice day!
Burgess
April 21st, 2012
3:49 pm
Perfect… a high school offense playing on a Friday night
HighTech
April 21st, 2012
3:55 pm
You want to compare playing in the ACC with the 70th rated schedule with playing in the SEC with the 28th rated schedule. Georgia 4 losses all came against teams that finished in the top 10.
—————————————-
“We lost to better teams…”
I’m assuming this is not a moral victory or an excuse.
gt4ever
April 21st, 2012
4:57 pm
3 – 0 through 2 quarters……. Wow…. Oh, they were playing against our stout first D….. My bad!
Erk R
April 21st, 2012
5:39 pm
I will never understand why fans still skeptic about PJ and his offense. Look at everywhere he’s been. Feel stupid right? Now shut up and let the man coach.
Robert the Yellow Jacket
April 21st, 2012
6:05 pm
If we can beat VT and the chances for an upset are good, we could have a great season.
Vt has been lucky for the last two with the crazy penalty on third down last year and the injury to our warrior the prior year.
Robert the Yellow Jacket
April 21st, 2012
6:08 pm
@TechEngineer.
If you lose to the arch rival five in a row just about anywhere, you are fired period.
If a Uga coach loses to us twice, he can keep his job but not three straight.
So if we demanded change lile Uga fans do, Gailey would have been gone 2 years sooner.
WnE
April 21st, 2012
6:35 pm
re:
I will never understand why fans still skeptic about PJ and his offense. Look at everywhere he’s been. Feel stupid right? Now shut up and let the man coach.
____________
Everywhere he’s been?
Ga. Sou.
Hawaii
Navy
In case you hadn’t noticed none of those places even register on the CFB consciousness of even the most ardent CFB Fan.
From that list above it looks to me like CPJ has been a “career minor leaguer”, and the GT Fans want to try and project what his minor league stats mean at the big league level.
Well, they mean nothing!
In yrs. 3 & 4 when the players HE RECRUITED started to populate the line-up the on-field performance went down noticeably, and that was vs. schedules ranked 69th & 76th according to Sagarin.
When your performance wanes at the same time the competition wanes then that should be a huge red-flag, but to the CPJ apologists, it means nothing.
CPJ is the “Crash Davis” of BCS CFB, a guy who’s really a career minor leaguer to everyone else, but only the GT fans think he’s a big timer.
Ghost
April 21st, 2012
6:44 pm
High Tech, No excuses , no moral victories just the facts , He wanted to compare schedules,Georgias was much tougher and i still contend tech would’ve won 4 maybe 5 games if they played georgias schedule. Every where PJs been? He’s never coached on the major college level it shows in his coaching and recruiting.
HighTech
April 21st, 2012
7:03 pm
WnE
April 21st, 2012
6:35 pm
Everywhere he’s been?
Ga. Sou.
Hawaii
Navy
In case you hadn’t noticed none of those places even register on the CFB consciousness of even the most ardent CFB Fan.
From that list above it looks to me like CPJ has been a “career minor leaguer”, and the GT Fans want to try and project what his minor league stats mean at the big league level.
Well, they mean nothing!
————————————
You are really reaching this time. Your hatred of CPJ has distorted your perception.
A large number of BCS head coaches start small and work their way up to larger programs through demonstrated success.
Some examples:
Auburn knew Gene Chizik as an assistant coach, but his first head coaching job was at Iowa St.
Nick Saban’s first BCS level head coaching job was at Toledo.
Steve Spurrier coached at Duke before coaching at Florida.
Ghost
April 21st, 2012
7:16 pm
High Tech, I think you may be missing the point , all of the coaches you mention were assistants/coordinators at major programs before taking a head coaching position, Pjs lacks that on his resume and it’s glaring in the way he manages his staff , recruits and coaches IMHO.
HighTech
April 21st, 2012
7:31 pm
Spurrier was a quarterbacks coach at Florida for one season. His other assistant coaching jobs were at Georgia Tech and Duke. I guess that would make Steve Spurrier more qualified to be a head coach than someone who has head coaching experience at Georgia Southern and Navy.
However, in Coach Johnson’s defense, his overall record at Navy was 45–29 with only one losing season. Georgia Southern won their conference every year Paul Johnson was the head coach and they won the national championship twice.
Jon Koncak
April 21st, 2012
7:37 pm
High School offense, no concept of the forward pass, retread defensive coordinator, mediocre talent = crummy ACC football team.
Jon Koncak is right!
April 21st, 2012
8:11 pm
…about Va Tech.
Wal-Mart Retards
April 21st, 2012
8:14 pm
Sounds like the spring game for Tech went much better than the opener for U(sic)GA last year. Boise St. is a high school team… UGA is a high school.
Ghost
April 21st, 2012
8:18 pm
Jim Donnan won National championships at Marshall , but had experience as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under Switzer. Spurrier also was ahead coach in USFL . Johnsons never had to recruit and it show in his recruiting for tech. I can look at the roster he inherited had some very good talent and the roster he’s built doesn’t compare. He’s tried to sign better players , but they aren’t buying into the system. My Dad coached college football (mostly in the SEC)with some very great coaches, and he always said that recruiting was the lifeblood of a program, Pjs being out recruited by just about everyone and honestly he’s a good /average coach with a very average to below average staff.He recruits like a 1aa school.
ole yeller
April 21st, 2012
8:33 pm
Hey Wne shut up!! You don’t have a clue what you are talking about. You are on this blog just for the attention. Never, ever have I witnessed such an insecure being that the only joy in his life was to create mayhem. Pal you are a sick person and someone needs to try to help you. I really don’t think the pope would like you.
There is not a doubt in my mind that you ever attended Bobby Dodd stadium last evening. Your report is just to sketchy.
Show us your ring again!!
Wal-Mart Retards
April 21st, 2012
9:09 pm
WnE = WuS
HighTech
April 21st, 2012
9:36 pm
Ghost…the fact that Bulldog fans like you and WnE hate CPJ so much tells me he must be doing something right.
Donnan was fired by University President Michael F. Adams, against the wishes of athletic director Vince Dooley, in 2000 after the Bulldogs struggled to two consecutive eight-win seasons, and three consecutive losses against Georgia Tech. Donnan’s inability to return the program to the national prominence of Dooley’s era and to compete with longtime SEC Eastern Division rivals such as Tennessee and Florida, combined with certain off-the-field problems for players, are believed to be the reasons for his dismissal.
In May 2009, Donnan was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame for his coaching success at Marshall.
Donnan won one national championship at Marshall.
OldGold-1964
April 21st, 2012
10:02 pm
IMHO – spring games are like, well, like NBA pre-season. Coaches may or may not get some evaluation out of it; and the players get to work on game situation timing. That’s it. No more and no less. So I am not reading anything into how the game was played
If you went, and took the kids, I hope you all enjoyed an evening out.
Jim
April 21st, 2012
10:06 pm
I thought the officials did a fantastic job!,
Supersize that order, mutt
April 21st, 2012
10:19 pm
@ OldGold, there were lots of kids there last night, and they all looked like they were having a blast. It was a great sight to see. I agree with you about Spring games. They are notoriously boring and prove very little. I thought it was interesting that after all the talk about working out of the shotgun so much this spring practice season, they never used it last night. I guess maybe he doesn’t want too many people to be aware of it too soon.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 21st, 2012
10:20 pm
@ OldGold, there were lots of kids there last night, and they seemed to be having a blast.
WnE
April 21st, 2012
11:04 pm
re:
HighTech
April 21st, 2012
9:36 pm
Ghost…the fact that Bulldog fans like you and WnE hate CPJ so much tells me he must be doing something right.
__________
I am NOT a mutt fan, but I do have a healthy respect for certain GT opponents.
Most GT fans don’t realize this, their hatred of all things UGA has clouded their judgment; but the BEST THING for GT FB is to have UGA go 11-0 heading into the GT game and then have GT with a 10-1 or 11-0 Record themselves, and then beat UGA.
GT won’t get any bump in the eyes of Recruits if they beat bad/average UGA teams, the same way that that BOTH Miami & FSU benefited from both teams having strong Programs when their rivalry was must-see-TV for the better part of 2 Decades.
At one point in the State of Fla. if you were a Top Recruit the decision was, “do I go to FSU or do I go to Miami”, and because of that BOTH FB programs benefited greatly.
If GT vs. UGA could ever reach that level, like a Texas-OU, OhioSt.- Michigan, or like FSU-Miami from back in the day then Recruits in our talent-rich state would want to go to either GT or UGA and we would lose less top Recruits to USCe, Tenn, Auburn, Bama, Stanford, ND etc.
I’m not a UGA fan or grad, but I do respect their FB program since CMR took over.
I don’t know why it is so hard for GT fans to admit that since CMR took over UGA has been much cleaner than most SEC schools and a complete 180-degrees from where they were during the Vince Dooley years.
You can want to beat them without crossing over into irrational hate.
Most GT Fans have an irrational hatred of all things UGA.
I just want to beat them on the field!
Hoopster
April 21st, 2012
11:43 pm
How precious……WnE and HighTech (same person) are arguing with themselves. I guess so is buLLdawg………….who else?
Supersize that order, mutt
April 22nd, 2012
12:05 am
@Hoopster, I don’t know where you get the idea that WnE and HighTech are the same person. You could not be further from the truth. That’s just plain stupid
Ghost
April 22nd, 2012
2:09 am
High Tech,You misconstrue my opinion I don’t hate PJ, I have family ties to tech and think they could do better, but as a Bulldog fan I hope Tech gives him the Paul Hewitt lifetime rollover every year contract.Pj blew a golden opportunity to elevate tech when Richt struggled in 09,and in 2010. Donnan downfall was Q. Carter and serious problems with player discipline (he had none) ,and losing to Tech. I liked Donnan as a coach, unlike PJ he understood and recruited very well, I didn’t like the way he was fired but wasn’t disappointed nor at all surprised when he was fired .Donnan was the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma and Switzer when they won a National championship in 1985.Donnan had a higher win Pct in his 4 years than Pj’s had.Pjs resume pales in comparison Donnans.
ryan
April 22nd, 2012
3:10 am
Not sure about comparing resumes between Jim Donnan and CPJ but without a doubt Jim Donnan has a lot more experience dealing with the SEC ( that would be the Securities and Exchange Commission)
jawill85
April 22nd, 2012
5:30 am
QB J-U-S-T-I-N T-H-O-M-A-S!!!! JUST WAIT!
News: Jones dominates Evans at UFC 145 – Atlanta Journal Constitution | News Aggregator for you
April 22nd, 2012
8:02 am
[...] Tech’s spring game does nothing to change its QB rotation [...]
Birmingham Jacket
April 22nd, 2012
8:15 am
6-6 / 7-5 at best this year.
That’s what 4 years of recruiting the way our inept leadership has done, will do.
And there will still be delusional fans that support these guys.
Nativebird
April 22nd, 2012
8:28 am
My jackets will win nothing of importance under current leadership. CPJ needs to go back and coach highschool football, really. Firstly, he probably would love it , he absolutely does not care about championships, alumni, parents, press, anything off the field whatsoever. Secondly, he is immovable with regard to his genius and brilliance of his system in that it it the best football scheme ever devised by man, and it came from his brain. Perfect for highschool. Lastly, he would be worshipped and adored by all those in the little kingdom of his highschool world, he could prove that it’s his SYSTEM that wins games not great athletes, and would probably win numerous state championships and be ushered into the highschool hall of fame. But THIS guy needs to get the h3// out of college football.
Wal-Mart Retards
April 22nd, 2012
8:50 am
Native bird ( is the word ) – maybe you ought to go back to high school. You would love it. The classes might come easy for you and the boys too!
Birmingham Jacket
April 22nd, 2012
8:57 am
@Nativebird
I think CPJ can coach college football, but is more fitted for service academies, Wake Forest, U. Conn, etc. Ie schools that don’t expect to seriously contend to championships, and CERTAINLY WOULD NEVER EXPECT TO STAND TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE UGA’S, LSU’S, ETC.
The fact is, as a Jacket fan I want to win ACC Championships (he did it with Gailey’s players) and be competitive with UGA.
HighTech
April 22nd, 2012
9:44 am
How does Richt’s resume compare to Donnan’s?
HighTech
April 22nd, 2012
9:45 am
Nativebird
April 22nd, 2012
8:28 am
My jackets will win nothing of importance under current leadership.
———————————————
You haven’t been paying attention.
HighTech
April 22nd, 2012
9:56 am
Hoopster
April 21st, 2012
11:43 pm
How precious……WnE and HighTech (same person) are arguing with themselves. I guess so is buLLdawg………….who else?
————————————————–
You must be a genius. You’ve finally figured us out. I am Smeagol and WnE is Gollum. Two halves of the same schizophrenic mind. We hates you. Do not mention the precious ever again.
Ghost
April 22nd, 2012
9:56 am
High Tech, Richts resume being offensive coordinator at FSU during their glory years, prepared him to be a head coach, coached 2 Heisman QBs and was a part of 2 National championships . Donnan was well traveled, point is PJ has no experience in Major college football and it shows.Tech would serve itself well to find a coach that has Richts type of background.
Stumpknocker
April 22nd, 2012
9:58 am
Just look past anything WeeNe has to say……He wasn’t even at the game.
HighTech
April 22nd, 2012
10:03 am
Maybe Chuck Amato is back in good health. Are any of the Bowden boys available?
Erk R
April 22nd, 2012
10:31 am
WnE, you keep proving more and more how much of an idiot you are son. Yea, Hawaii, Ga Southern, and Navy. He WON there. Took programs from nothing to significance and beyond. PJ’s track record speaks for itself. You sir, need help.