there's been a lot of work done on ball security. it's a story I've been reporting out a little bit. Centers, quarterbacks and B-backs worked a lot on exchanges and meshes and I think there's been an emphasis on securing the ball. Zach laskey told me something interesting, that Justin Thomas and Tim Byerly are consistent in their mesh points, which is one way that turnovers in this offense happen.
Good question. Answer: I don't know. I'd say this: I think it helps the offense to have a consistent cadence - which I do know is something they work on - so the offense itself isn't thrown off. if you'll remember, in the Virginia Tech game, the offensive line seemed to have a tough time as it was going on the right count.
I saw that, too. i don't know. I'm sure money will be a big part of it (Tech is Russell's flagship and I'm sure will fight hard to keep the contract). I would think there's certainly some recruiting advantages Under Armour would bring. (full disclosure: I'm an Under Armour shareholder)
I don't know to what extent it will be used, but I think it could be a significant advantage. It's worked when they've used it in the spring and in camp, and I think there's things about the offense (its physicality and unorthodoxy) that could potentially stress defenses if they're forced to play faster. I'm very curious to see how it looks.
As I've said, and as the forecasts would suggest, it's pretty tough to call. there's a lot of variables with all the teams, I think. 4-4 in the conference wouldn't surprise me, 6-2 is possible, too. Let's split it and go with 5-3 and 8-4 overall. That would probably be good for second or third in the Coastal.
Thanks for the invite. I'll definitely make it a point to stop by.
i can see it happening, definitely. They tried it with Days in the past, but he had some ball-security challenges.
Frank, you bring up some pretty good points. Another reason is that you'd want to create separation between Leggett and the B-back(s) coming in next year's class. I've been told often that he's done well in camp, although he's had a tough time staying in practice due to injuries. I hate to evade the question, but I'm not sure what the "feeling" is. For the reasons you state, you'd like to play him, but you don't want to give him plays here and there and burn his redshirt if he's not healthy and making a worthy contribution. I imagine the ideal situation for the coaches is that he gets healthy, shows well in practice and starts to push Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days to make the decision easier.
I have a vague recollection about the Corvette story, though I seem to remember it being a joke. I don't know that the NCAA picks on Tech. I think the Demaryius Thomas investigation, Tech handled it the wrong way. This one, Tech was already on probation when it reported (as it should have) a pretty flagrant violation (albeit one that was fairly harmless), which led to another investigation. Ultimately, the penalty was two years of probation and the "failure to monitor" tag, so Tech isn't suffering material consequences in this case. I have to believe that far worse infractions are being committed elsewhere, as you say. The NCAA just isn't very good at finding them.
I think you're right. I know he's confident in both and, as the past couple years would indicate, he's not afraid of mixing in the No. 2 guy. I can see Byerly coming in for a series or two to mix things up, and possibly being used as a short-yardage guy (possibly Synjyn Days also). I think he'd tend to be patient with Thomas. He's obviously a first-year starter, and I don't think he'd want to mess with his confidence.
Good morning. thanks for joining me again for the Georgia Tech Mailbag (brought to you by Kroger). I imagine you're as excited as I am to get the season started on Saturday. we've got a few questions in the hopper, so let's get started.
I think coaches feel pretty good about Zach Laskey. I'm curious to see how the backup job will go. C.J. Leggett, Matt Connors and Synjyn Days are all possibilities and it may be the case that one of them will have to win the job in the first couple of games. I think they have at least one among 2015 commits, Mikell Lands-Davis.
He actually said something pretty funny about it on media day. someone asked him about how it would affect the Tech defense, and he said something about how he just hoped they're able to get there to be able to hit the quarterback.
I asked Paul Johnson about the changes to protect quarterbacks. I don't know if he's concerned, but I think he expects it to be called differently game to game. He also said something about how he's hoping that his quarterbacks get the same protection as others when they leave the pocket.
I think both Isaiah Johnson and Jamal Golden will be looked to a great deal for leadership, particularly in the secondary, as a lot of the rest of that group is pretty young. I do think the secondary could be pretty good as the season goes. D.J. White is a player to watch.
I don't know enough about Georgia's roster to give a very good answer, but somewhere between 22 and 0. Just kidding. I honestly don't know, but probably not a lot. I guess you'd have to take into account, too, that the offenses are pretty different.
That's a tough one to tease out. I get the sense from Paul Johnson that he's not that confident about Chamberlain right now, but I don't know how he feels about Joe when healthy. I know he believes strongly in the value of competition. I think at this point, he just wants someone to challenge Chamberlain.
Regarding NFL prospects, this might be an unsatisfying answer, but it might be kicker Harrison Butker. As for what player on the roster will get drafted the highest (next year or beyond), that's a little trickier. It could be Shaquille Mason. this is entirely speculative, but if he's equal to the praise he's been receiving thus far, maybe KeShun Freeman.
there's a lot of questions to be answered, but I think the chances of getting to six wins (at least) and extending the bowl streak are pretty good.
I'm not sure, to be honest. He's got at least DeAndre Smelter, Micheal Summers and Darren Waller (after suspension) ahead of him, and I think coaches also like Corey Dennis. Plus Ricky Jeune and Antonio Messick are hunting for playing time. It will come down to what sort of contribution he can make on special teams, I think. Coaches have assigned players to the scout team, but they're not permanent (at least not now).
I think it's kind of like the difference between African and European swallows.
