Jerry the Jacket
Jolly Good Fellow
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2002
- Messages
- 1,641
I think by now most Georgia Tech fans are convinced that Coach Johnson’s offense is more than competitive at the Division 1 College level. What he accomplished last year was impressive, molding a group of players totally unfamiliar with his offensive style into a functional unit that performed at a fairly high level for the most part of the season. This year I think the expectations are to see further improvement with the added experience of a year under everybody’s belt and additional confidence knowing that the offense not only can work but does work.
Personally I really like the offense. I am an old school football guy who believes you have run the ball and stop the run to be successful. I think Coach Johnson’s offense puts a level of intrigue and excitement into the running game that I have not seen since the old wishbone / option days of Nebraska and Oklahoma.
So what are the focus areas going into this spring? I think there are two main focus areas for the offense. First is to improve our offensive line play and overall blocking technique and secondly to improve our ability to complete the forward pass when we want to. So far this spring I think we are seeing limited success in both of these areas.
As for the offensive line, there are several players that are unable to participate this spring due to injury or rehab situations. Dan Voss and Nick Claytor, starters from last year are out all spring. Clyde Yandell is also unavailable so far due to some sort of back ailment and Cord Howard has missed a good bit of time due to some nagging aches and pain. Recently Mike Johnson, a promising walk on was added to this list with some sort of shoulder problem. So we have 4 or 5 guys that are missing a lot of reps. While this will certainly hinder their progress the good news is that those that are still in the mix are getting a lot of valuable reps that hopefully will make them better going into next season.
So far the Center position has been manned by a combination of Sean Bedford, a preferred walk on who played on the defensive line last year, Nick McRae a red shirt freshman and Zach Fraysier another walk on. Bedford seems to be running out front for now. He actually looks pretty good in there and may develop into a very serviceable offensive lineman in the rotation. McRae is being tried at several positions and I think the coaches are still evaluating the best spot for Nick. Zach is a young player that is also being looked at in other spots on the O Line as well. There is still a lot of uncertainty about this position.
The Guard position has pretty well been manned by Gilbert and Howard when Cord is able to go. Uzzi is the first one in to take their spot and he is doing a good job when called upon. I noticed at the scrimmage that the coaches kept Uzzi out there more than any other offensive lineman. I think they feel he needs more reps to get not only experience but probably to get in a bit better football shape. Zach Krish has seen some time in the line up as well. He is another walk on with good size and some credible ability. Will Minter another walk on and Mike Johnson before his injury also are getting some reps both here and at tackle. One thing I noticed is that Cord Howard is in great shape and I think if he can avoid the injury bug should remain a starter. Gilbert and Uzzi will fight it out for the other starting spot in my opinion.
The Tackle spot is currently being manned by Austin Barrick and Brad Sellers. Austin has really put on some size and probably is in the 280 to 290 range. He continues to get better and I think it is going to be difficult for anyone to unseat him this year. Sellers is actually playing pretty well. He is smaller but has decent size and he has shown a bit of a nasty streak this spring. Phil Smith is the first one in after those two and I think he is going to be a very good player in time. If Claytor struggles to come back from his back surgery, Smith may have to step up. This may create a real opportunity for incoming freshman Antonio Foster to get some playing time if he comes in and demonstrates he can do the job.
So overall the offensive line is in a state of flux. It is not the ideal situation but I am sure we are not unique in having to work around things like injuries. I am hopeful that the fall will return everyone to good health and we can get back to our full complement of healthy bodies. At this stage it is difficult to determine what kind of progress we are making here. For the most part it looks like this group is holding its own.
The other focus area for blocking is the A Back position. Coach Monken is really putting even more emphasis this spring on our A Backs getting the opponent not only blocked but on the ground. Right now it looks like Roddy Jones and Marcus Wright are emerging from this group. Both are very capable. We are also looking at Anthony Allen, Lucas Cox and even Jon Dwyer at the A back position for certain plays. I feel that all of these players will be in the mix and don’t be surprised to see any and all of them lined up at the A back spot. Embry Peeples is getting a lot of reps as well and seems to be very capable. Others in the mix are Jamal Page, Paul Reese and Jonathon Malone. I think the final 3 I mention will only see spot duty unless there are significant injuries at the position.
The receiving corps is well stocked. Everybody knows what Bay Bay can do and no one is threatening to take his job. Tyler Melton looks real solid and I think he will hold on to his starting position. Behind those 2 we have 5 guys that are all very good players and I think any of them could come into a game and be productive. I would rank order them as follows: Kevin Cone, Daniel MacKayhan, Zach Fisher, Quentin Sims and Willie White. Receivers are not the problem with our passing game. I will talk more about that in a bit.
The quarterback situation is improving. Josh Nesbitt is a solid number one. He is a scary runner and he is stepping up his leadership on the field which is a real positive. Unfortunately, Josh is still struggling with the passing game. I was hoping to see some marked improvement this spring but to date that has not been the case. This is an area we just have to make some headway in. Jaybo is a bit better passer but only marginally. Jaybo has put on some size and I think if he will continue to work on gaining weight and strength he is going to be very good down the road. Telvin Washington is showing improvement but he is still a good ways behind the first two. He just needs a lot of reps and more confidence.
The one thing we really need to be able to do in order to get to the next level is to make a defense pay when they least expect it with the pass. I think that would add a level of fear and intimidation into our opponent’s minds that would even further open up our vaunted ground attack. We just have to find an answer here if we want to win championships.
Finally the most impressive position on the entire team is the B Back position. We have an extravagance of riches in that department. The crown jewel here is Jon Dwyer. He is awesome and very well might compete for national player of the year honors this year. He is getting limited reps now since everyone knows what he can do and he has a mild hamstring issue. Anthony Allen is the real deal as well. He is quick and strong. A gifted natural running back that will be a real asset to our team. Richard Watson is the real deal as well. He is a big bruiser that hammers the ball into the line and moves the pile. He has some speed as well. Lucas Cox can also play the B Back position and is very good. I feel sorry for Preston Lyons. He actually is very good and probably could get a lot of playing time if he was not so far down the pecking order. He is someone that is going to make some noise for us down the line.
So in summary, we still have some questions about the offensive line and the passing game. The good news is we have a lot of good athletes and some excellent coaches that I think in combination they will find a way to make us better than we were last year. The experience factor alone should make that a reality. If we can just find the answer in the passing game, we could be big trouble for any body on our schedule.
Go Jackets!
Personally I really like the offense. I am an old school football guy who believes you have run the ball and stop the run to be successful. I think Coach Johnson’s offense puts a level of intrigue and excitement into the running game that I have not seen since the old wishbone / option days of Nebraska and Oklahoma.
So what are the focus areas going into this spring? I think there are two main focus areas for the offense. First is to improve our offensive line play and overall blocking technique and secondly to improve our ability to complete the forward pass when we want to. So far this spring I think we are seeing limited success in both of these areas.
As for the offensive line, there are several players that are unable to participate this spring due to injury or rehab situations. Dan Voss and Nick Claytor, starters from last year are out all spring. Clyde Yandell is also unavailable so far due to some sort of back ailment and Cord Howard has missed a good bit of time due to some nagging aches and pain. Recently Mike Johnson, a promising walk on was added to this list with some sort of shoulder problem. So we have 4 or 5 guys that are missing a lot of reps. While this will certainly hinder their progress the good news is that those that are still in the mix are getting a lot of valuable reps that hopefully will make them better going into next season.
So far the Center position has been manned by a combination of Sean Bedford, a preferred walk on who played on the defensive line last year, Nick McRae a red shirt freshman and Zach Fraysier another walk on. Bedford seems to be running out front for now. He actually looks pretty good in there and may develop into a very serviceable offensive lineman in the rotation. McRae is being tried at several positions and I think the coaches are still evaluating the best spot for Nick. Zach is a young player that is also being looked at in other spots on the O Line as well. There is still a lot of uncertainty about this position.
The Guard position has pretty well been manned by Gilbert and Howard when Cord is able to go. Uzzi is the first one in to take their spot and he is doing a good job when called upon. I noticed at the scrimmage that the coaches kept Uzzi out there more than any other offensive lineman. I think they feel he needs more reps to get not only experience but probably to get in a bit better football shape. Zach Krish has seen some time in the line up as well. He is another walk on with good size and some credible ability. Will Minter another walk on and Mike Johnson before his injury also are getting some reps both here and at tackle. One thing I noticed is that Cord Howard is in great shape and I think if he can avoid the injury bug should remain a starter. Gilbert and Uzzi will fight it out for the other starting spot in my opinion.
The Tackle spot is currently being manned by Austin Barrick and Brad Sellers. Austin has really put on some size and probably is in the 280 to 290 range. He continues to get better and I think it is going to be difficult for anyone to unseat him this year. Sellers is actually playing pretty well. He is smaller but has decent size and he has shown a bit of a nasty streak this spring. Phil Smith is the first one in after those two and I think he is going to be a very good player in time. If Claytor struggles to come back from his back surgery, Smith may have to step up. This may create a real opportunity for incoming freshman Antonio Foster to get some playing time if he comes in and demonstrates he can do the job.
So overall the offensive line is in a state of flux. It is not the ideal situation but I am sure we are not unique in having to work around things like injuries. I am hopeful that the fall will return everyone to good health and we can get back to our full complement of healthy bodies. At this stage it is difficult to determine what kind of progress we are making here. For the most part it looks like this group is holding its own.
The other focus area for blocking is the A Back position. Coach Monken is really putting even more emphasis this spring on our A Backs getting the opponent not only blocked but on the ground. Right now it looks like Roddy Jones and Marcus Wright are emerging from this group. Both are very capable. We are also looking at Anthony Allen, Lucas Cox and even Jon Dwyer at the A back position for certain plays. I feel that all of these players will be in the mix and don’t be surprised to see any and all of them lined up at the A back spot. Embry Peeples is getting a lot of reps as well and seems to be very capable. Others in the mix are Jamal Page, Paul Reese and Jonathon Malone. I think the final 3 I mention will only see spot duty unless there are significant injuries at the position.
The receiving corps is well stocked. Everybody knows what Bay Bay can do and no one is threatening to take his job. Tyler Melton looks real solid and I think he will hold on to his starting position. Behind those 2 we have 5 guys that are all very good players and I think any of them could come into a game and be productive. I would rank order them as follows: Kevin Cone, Daniel MacKayhan, Zach Fisher, Quentin Sims and Willie White. Receivers are not the problem with our passing game. I will talk more about that in a bit.
The quarterback situation is improving. Josh Nesbitt is a solid number one. He is a scary runner and he is stepping up his leadership on the field which is a real positive. Unfortunately, Josh is still struggling with the passing game. I was hoping to see some marked improvement this spring but to date that has not been the case. This is an area we just have to make some headway in. Jaybo is a bit better passer but only marginally. Jaybo has put on some size and I think if he will continue to work on gaining weight and strength he is going to be very good down the road. Telvin Washington is showing improvement but he is still a good ways behind the first two. He just needs a lot of reps and more confidence.
The one thing we really need to be able to do in order to get to the next level is to make a defense pay when they least expect it with the pass. I think that would add a level of fear and intimidation into our opponent’s minds that would even further open up our vaunted ground attack. We just have to find an answer here if we want to win championships.
Finally the most impressive position on the entire team is the B Back position. We have an extravagance of riches in that department. The crown jewel here is Jon Dwyer. He is awesome and very well might compete for national player of the year honors this year. He is getting limited reps now since everyone knows what he can do and he has a mild hamstring issue. Anthony Allen is the real deal as well. He is quick and strong. A gifted natural running back that will be a real asset to our team. Richard Watson is the real deal as well. He is a big bruiser that hammers the ball into the line and moves the pile. He has some speed as well. Lucas Cox can also play the B Back position and is very good. I feel sorry for Preston Lyons. He actually is very good and probably could get a lot of playing time if he was not so far down the pecking order. He is someone that is going to make some noise for us down the line.
So in summary, we still have some questions about the offensive line and the passing game. The good news is we have a lot of good athletes and some excellent coaches that I think in combination they will find a way to make us better than we were last year. The experience factor alone should make that a reality. If we can just find the answer in the passing game, we could be big trouble for any body on our schedule.
Go Jackets!
