The offseason is just about over for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Now that the players are back on the practice field, just weeks from the start of the 2011 season, they can put all the off-field problems over the last couple months behind them.
As the Jackets deal with the August heat and count the hours, let's take a look at five key areas where Tech needs answers if it is to bounce back from a disappointing 6-7 2010.
1.Quarterback
Any time a team enters the season without a clear-cut, No. 1 QB, it is THE worry. And that is the case in this preseason for Tech. Tevin Washington is the heir apparent to Joshua Nesbitt -- whose career came to an unceremonious end with his broken arm against Virginia Tech last November. Granted, Washington was just a redshirt sophomore when he took over, but his overall numbers left something to be desired. It takes time for a quarterback to acclimate to coach Paul Johnson's option, so whoever ends up under center deserves a chance to learn the position. Redshirt freshman Synjyn Days (great name, by the way) could jump into the starter's role. There has also been plenty of talk about true freshman Vad Lee stealing the position, as he comes to Tech from Durham, N.C., with some eye-popping prep numbers.
2. Wide Receiver
Did the Jackets ever miss Demaryius Thomas last year. While the option is dominated by running plays, it's that serious receiving threat that really makes everything work, and Tech fans took Thomas's receiving skills for granted two years ago. The job fell into the lap of Stephen Hill last season and he dropped the ball -- literally, leading the Jackets with a paltry 15 receptions in 12 games (that's just over one catch per game, folks). Hill dropped too many passes, didn't run crisp routes and was a non-factor in the offense too often to keep defenses honest enough from cheating on the run. Hill is back this season and will be in the mix, and there's always a chance he will make major improvements. But Tech needs to find someone else that can catch the ball consistently. True freshman Jeff Greene could come in right away and compete for playing time after putting up solid numbers at Starr's Mill High School and being named second team All-State. Tech hopes this year's receivers not only catch the ball, but also block downfield. Losing Kevin Cone to graduation (he signed with the Atlanta Falcons) could hurt the downfield blocking game.
3. Special Teams
From kickoff coverage to punt and kick returns -- to punting in general, the Jackets have had problems throughout the Johnson era. And since the option offense can swing heavily on field position, special teams needs to become a positive. Chandler Anderson lost his punting job last September after a successful 2009 season, and Sean Poole wound up getting a majority of the punts last year. Both will be in the mix for the starting job. Scott Blair was a pretty reliable place kicker the last three seasons, but he has graduated, meaning the job will should fall to either Justin Moore or Dawson County grad David Scully. As for returning punts and kicks... Tech can't get much worse than last season. With so many quick returners, and with Johnson more involved in the unit this year, there should be improvement. Early candidate for understatement of the year: "We need to get much better in that area," Johnson said after the first day of practice.
4. Defense should be improved
It's Year Two of the Al Groh experiment. Groh is usually mentioned as one of the better defensive coaches in the nation, and now that the players have had a year to grow into his 3-4 system, it should start paying more dividends. Flowery Branch's Izaan Cross should continue to improve and help hold down the defensive line, along with Jason Peters and Dawson County's Logan Walls. The loss of redshirt freshman Denzel McCoy for the season -- and probably for his career -- definitely hurts the Jackets. Leading tackler Julian Burnett will be back to lead the linebacking corps, along with Stephen Sylvester, with Hall County product Daniel Drummond also getting looks. The secondary will be young, but it might wind up being the biggest strength for the defense, led by safety Rashaad Reid and cornerback Louis Young, both of whom saw plenty of action last year. Tech's defense allowed over 25 points per game in 2010 and failed to stop the opposition in important moments. That must change this year.
5. Turnovers
Fumbles helped kill the 2010 campaign. Obviously an option team that runs the ball as much as Tech does can expect some extra fumbles and fumbles lost -- but 37 fumbles and 20 lost is too many. Turnovers helped upend Tech against Georgia and Virginia Tech. It goes back to the quarterback making the right reads, making good pitches and not making foolish mistakes. The bad news is that the team's skill positions (quarterback, fullback, wide receiver) are still up in the air. The good news, however, is that Paul Johnson also knows this and will have spent an entire offseason working on the issue.
-- Judd Hickinbotham is a news reporter and on-air personality for WDUN and Access North Georgia.com, as well as a paly-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves. You can see Judd each week, along with Access sports editor Morgan Lee on WDUN SportsTalk.
Thursday
April 24th, 2025
5:43PM
