All-ACC team announced.....

Congratulations to 7 Jackets making the All-ACC team this year.  First team selections are QB Josh Nesbitt, RB Jon Dwyer, WR BayBay Thomas, OG Cord Howard, C Sean Bedford & DE Derrick Morgan.  S Morgan Burnett was elected to the second team with 61 votes, just 2 shy from being first team.  CJ Spiller of Clemson led the offensive players garnering 76 votes as the specialist.  Dwyer (67) & BayBay (63) were next.  Derrick Morgan led all defenders with 76 votes. Congrats to the Jackets & the voters as we actually think they did very well with the voting (where the hell is Christian Ponder by the way?).  We're particularly pleased to see Josh get the recognition he deserves. The Heisman certainly won't be as accurate.....

Post mortem....

We spent yesterday in disbelief  & denial, fighting through a haze of bourbon & hoping Saturday was simply a drunken mirage.  But it wasn't.  We lost.  Or more appropriately we were beaten.  And as we sat on the couch yesterday, wallowing in disappointment and muttering "what the fuck" at random intervals, we asked ourself the same question you probably were asking yourself: what happened?  How did we lose THAT game?  

Well, we did our bit of penance & have now watched the replay three times.  The result is that we're blind in one eye & have vomited all over the TV room multiple times.  I would rather place my manly equipment in a blender & turn it on high than ever watch that game again. Seriously.  My retina hate me as the image of Caleb King is now permanently burned in them.  

But the question remains, what happened Saturday?  Here's my thoughts & musings on what we saw....

• Give Richt & his staff credit for a great offensive game plan.  There's a reason Georgia has been a consistent winner in the SEC for the last ten years.  I think many folks believed that the Mutts would simply roll over & play dead.  They obviously didn't & Richt had them very well prepared.  What's the best way to slow down our offense?  Keep them off the field.  Where's your weak link if you're U(sic)GA?  The Ginger Ninja.  What's a great way to disrupt our offensive flow?  Get ahead & force us out of our usual rhythm.  Richt did all of these things by emphasizing the run.  And it worked beautifully.  That plus some fine play calling (the tight end drag on 3rd & 2 at the end of the game was a terrific call) was part of our problem.
• A taste of our own medicine.  The Mutts basically ran two plays that we simply couldn't stop: the "tailback iso lead" & the "counter iso lead".  I'm guessing but at least 250 of their 354 rushing yards came on those two plays.

Tailback iso lead....

Tailback iso counter...

Those two plays are the "bread & butter" of the I-formation offense.  But we simply couldn't stop them.  We weren't physical enough at the point of attack to hold the line & that, coupled with our linebackers not being able to shed blocks or constantly over-running the play, led to huge U(sic)GA gains.  Ben Anderson's early injury certainly hurt us but we just don't have the athletes up front or at linebacker to match up.  Morgan Burnett played a whale of a game.  But when a safety leads your team in tackles with 16 it shows clear problems with the front seven. Losing three guys to Sunday football this year really hurt on Saturday.  

• Offensively we simply didn't execute as we needed to.  The Georgia game plan was sound but nothing we haven't seen before: take away Dwyer & play from the inside-out. Nothing revolutionary but Nesbitt's injury & our lack of execution hampered us all night. One thing I've learned this year is much of our offensive success (or lack thereof) is based on rhythm.  On Saturday we failed to develop any and thus the offense never got going.
• Much has been made of CPJ's play calling at the end of the game.  Four consecutive throws certainly is not the norm for us.  But on three of those plays we had open players & simply failed to execute.  I can't second guess him on those calls.  We execute & we win. But I will second guess CPJ on our consistent failure to challenge bad calls by the officials. The replay of Reshad Jones' interception clearly shows he dropped the ball.  We've got to challenge that.  We didn't at FSU (Corey Earls fumble recovery) and got away with it.  On Saturday it burned us.

So what does losing to the Mutts mean?  It means that we gotta listen to their shit for 365 days. That sucks.  It's a shit-lollipop of epic proportions.  But take a step back & get some perspective.  If you had asked any of us 3 months ago how we'd feel on November 30th if we were 10-2 and heading to the ACC Championship game with an Orange Bowl berth on the line, we'd all have been giddy.  10-2 & playing for the conference championship?  In his second year? Not so bad.  We simply aren't as good as we thought we were.  I'm guilty of it too.  #7 in the polls & "the best one loss team" is rarified air.  And we'll get there.  But we simply aren't that good right now.  We will be.

So now we need to focus on Tampa.  On winning an ACC championship.  That's the goal.  I'm not trying to blow sunshine up your ass.  Losing to the Mutts sucks. It's the game I want to win most every year.  But I simply refuse to let this loss ruin my year.  Those bastards in Athens can't & won't define my football season.  We've come too far to let that happen.  THWG!

Hash

Lots more stuff coming today as there's a lot going on.  I thought about digging deep on a game breakdown but figured it would be painful/boring for most folks. Let me know if you're interested & I'll throw something together...

Breaking news!!!!

Congrats to Jeff Monken on his new job...

Tech slot backs coach & special teams coordinator Jeff Monken has been named head coach at Georgia Southern. He will stay on & coach through our bowl game. Congratulations to Jeff & his family on the promotion. He will be missed. We have some thoughts on who will replace Monken & we'll share them later this week...

This about sums it up...

How We Feel Right Now....

Two simple questions.....

It's 6:30 am & we're up & headed to campus.  We have but two simple questions for you today....

What's the Good Word????

How Bout them Dawgs????

Be safe out there, people....

The Don works for GE, which owns NBC... just saying

Flash Back. Someone at NBC deserves an extra ration of rum. Of course that Ole' Miss pick ain't looking so good.

Breakdown,, go ahead & give it to me....

It's finally here.  We've managed to eat our way through two entire turkey dinners, fight off the tryptophan doldrums, & begin to pack for tomorrow's tailgate.  We're ready.  The more important question is: are the Jackets?  For the first time I can ever remember we enter a game with Georgia as prohibitive favorites.  Sure the line is Tech giving 7.5.  But have you heard of anyone picking the Mutts?  I haven't spoken to a single person this week, from either side side of the rivalry, who thinks U(sic)GA has a chance.  The shoe is clearly on the other foot.  But caution, fellow Tech fans, this is a rivalry game, where anything can & generally does happen, even the improbable.  So what can we expect to see tomorrow?  A few thoughts:

• Injuries.  Tech is the healthiest we've been in a long time.  Our kids are very tough & several have played with various injuries throughout the year.  I'm not talking little nicks & scrapes either.  I'm talking about kids who understand the difference between playing hurt & being injured (everyone is hurt, you can't play injured...) and have fought through pain to play & help the team each week.  These kids haven't made excuses or complained, even when people outside of the program have questioned their play this year.  We're finally back on track health-wise after the bye week.  Center Sean Bedford, who went out in the 2nd half against Duke with an ankle sprain, has practiced all week & will start.  Guard Omoregie Uzzi, who missed Duke with back issues, is also ready to go.  Only back-up LB & special-teamer Malcolm Munroe, who sprained his ankle at Duke, will miss Saturday's contest.  The Dawgs, on the other hand, have two important players listed as questionable: all-world WR A.J. Green & safety Baccari Rambo.  My feeling is that both players will play on Saturday.  St. Richt is known for bullshit "motivational" ploys like this (see blackout, black helmet, or "How I got my ass beat by Bama & Florida" by Richt, M.).  Look at the heroic Dawgs, up from their death bed to play & help the cause?  How will they play?  We'll wait & see.

We're sure Richt will try something along these lines...

• A couple quick scores.  Step on their throat.  Early.  Georgia is an emotionally fragile team.  Tech is quietly confident (see Nesbitt, Josh...).  If the Jackets can score a couple early touchdowns the Mutts will pack it in & start looking towards next year.  On the other hand, the longer UGA hangs around the more confident they'll become.  We need to end this thing early...
• Continue the Dawgs turnover woes.  The Mutts are second-to-last in the FBS in turnover margin at -18.  If we can continue this trend we'll be in fine shape.  Morgan Burnett has been injured all year.  Something tells me coming off a bye week & heading into this game that UNO will be a major factor.  

Expect Uno to bait the Ginger Ninja into a couple of interceptions...

So we've outlined the plan to beat the Mutts above.  How will we actually go about it?  A few thoughts:

• Pound the edge.  Georgia is big at defensive tackle.  Atkins, Owens, Weston, & Jones are all very good players.  Watch for us to exploit the perimeter with speed option & then switch to the midline.  This will confuse & frustrate them.  If we block the perimeter well, this game is ours going away...Expect Allen, Roddy, Peeples & the Smurf to play a big role in this game...
• Exploit BayBay & Stephen Hill's height advantage.  Thomas & Hill are 6'3" & 6'5", respectively.  Georgia's corners, both fine players, are 5'8" & 5'10".  Big advantage for our boys.  I expect Slick Willie Martinez will pile eight in the box & sell out to stop the run.  When he does this, look for Hill & BayBay to go off....

BayBay's size will be a factor on Saturday...

• Trickeration.  After the Clemson game & the fake field goal, we've been pretty vanilla on offense.  Effective, mind you, but we've kept it simple.  I expect CPJ will give the Dawgs a few unexpected wrinkles.  What should we expect?  I'm not sure but if I had to guess BayBay might throw a pass on an end-around.  Or maybe a flea flicker....?
• The sprint draw to the Diesel.  This hasn't failed us all year & I don't think it will on Saturday.  It's Robespierre the Slender's favorite play & with good reason - it's deadly effective. 

Mr. Dwyer will take one to the house on the sprint draw....

• Make the Ginger Ninja beat us.  Stop the run & make the UGA offense one-dimensional.  Force Cox to throw the ball down field.  We need to limit their running game & force them to pass.  If we do this, Cox will make mistakes & turn the ball over...I can't emphasize this enough: STOP THE RUN!!!
• Four things that scare me: TE Orson Charles (particularly down the seam), WR tunnel screens, RB screens out of the backfield, & clowns.  Please, please watch out for these...
• Limit big plays on special teams.  Boykin & Miller are both very good kick returners.  And UGA's kicking duo is the best in the country.  We need to limit mistakes & big plays.  This is the only area of the game that UGA has an advantage.  If we can hold them to a special teams stalemate, we'll win easily...

Saturday's tilt at Bobby Dodd will be more competitive than many think.  Yes, UGA is mired in a bad year.  But it's not like they lost all of their athletes & are suddenly trotting high-schoolers out their.  That team has plenty of ability.  And the desperate dog is always the most dangerous.  The only way for UGA to salvage this season is to beat us & send us crashing down from our mighty perch.  Their players & coaches are keenly aware of this.  So expect a hard fought game on Saturday.  But Tech's offense will prove too much.  Paul Johnson vs. UGA defensive coordinator Willie Martinez is like a killer whale playing with a seal.  Johnson will simply toy with him & dictate the game.  CPJ's ability to adjust faster than Slick Willie (umm, glacial comes to mind...) will give the Dawgs fits on defense.  Expect UGA to put up a fight but the Jackets are just too much & win it going away, 41-24.  And as for the Ginger Ninja:

You can find him spooning with Lion's QB Matt Stafford & contemplating their suckitude....and fellas, nice try putting that girl in there.  Very Tom Cruise-esque.  What a beard....Let your love show...

Happy Thanksgiving....

You have to go back to 1990 to find a year that we as Jacket fans have more to be thankful for.  10-1, a berth in the ACC championship game, the finest coach in all the land , & a pending implosion down the road in Athens...What's not to be thankful for?  We're clearly a program on the rise.  But we wanted to take a second and offer a bit of thanks for our football heritage on The Flats.  We have been blessed with many great players, coaches, & teams throughout our history at Tech.  Bobby Dodd, John Heisman, George Morris, Joe Hamilton, Calvin Johnson, just to name a few.  But there's only one jersey number you don't see in white & gold on Saturdays in the fall....

#19.  The only number we have & ever will retire at Tech.  The jersey of Clinton Dillard Castleberry, Jr., perhaps the finest football player to ever grace the Flats.  

Clint Castleberry arrived at Tech a highly regarded halfback from Boys High in Atlanta in the fall of 1942, all of 5'9" & 155 pounds.  But in the first year of freshman eligibility (due to the number of men off fighting the war) Castleberry would leave an indelible mark on the Tech program.  Fleet of foot & possessing what we today would call "shake & bake", Castleberry tore through all of college football in 1942, being named 1st team all SEC as a freshman (the first ever) & 3rd in Heisman trophy voting (the highest until Adrian Peterson placed 2nd in 2004- pretty good player, Purple Jesus...).  The New York Herald wrote the Tech halfback possessed "speed and shiftiness...which combined the best features of a wraith and antelope."  Noted newspaper columnist Fred Russell said, "I know of only one way to stop Castleberry, and that's to repeal the freshman eligibility rule".

But 1942 was Castleberry's only year to grace the Flats with his speed & elusiveness.  Only a month after the season Castleberry & 17 other Yellow Jackets were called to duty in the Army Air Corp.  After a quick wedding to his high school sweetheart, Castleberry headed off to do his duty & pilot training.  Only two years later, on November 7th, 1944, Castleberry's B-26 Marauder, The Dream Girl, was lost in a flight from Liberia to Senegal.  Two weeks later he was listed as killed in action.

So today, as we eat turkey, drink bourbon & watch football, think of #19 & all those in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us so that 13 Saturdays in the fall every year we can be transported to that magical place where only Tech football can take us.  Have a great Thansgiving & as always, TO HELL WITH GEORGIA...

Man crush....

We love our football coach.  And it's statements like this that make us love him even more: "I'm going to get Georgia Tech to the point where our program is bigger than one game...".  Not "I hope to".  Not "our goal is...".  He said "I'm going to...".  That's a declarative statement.  One of mission & purpose.  And we don't doubt him one bit.  Huzzah & TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!!!!

We're not ashamed to admit: we like the cut of his jib...

Rivalry Week Photo Gallery...

Since we were off this week we'll save White Russians & Walter's for next week.  In it's place a picture gallery of things you might or might not see this weekend from our esteemed guests...

Mutts on their way into town....gonna be tough for GT parking to boot one of these...

This fellow eschews the above mode of transportation into the big city.  Only the best for our painted-domed guest.  Sir, your short bus has arrived....

Ahh, yes....representin'...

Like flies to shit....Hugo Chavez is a Dawg fan...we never would have guessed???

Tastes Great....Less Filling...Tastes Great...Less Filling...

Peanut Butter & Jelly...Sonny & Cher...A UGA education & Pizza delivery...some things are just meant to be...

The Dawg Brain Trust hard at work coachin' em up for Saturday...

 Richt, Bobo, & Martinez...the Holy Trinity...(Please keep Willie!)

Upon the discovery of indoor plumbing at Bobby Dodd Stadium, , Eustus A. Dawg wept in wonderment & delight....

In closing, we'd like to remind our guests this weekend that the truth shall set them free...

Look on the bright side, Mutts: at least you get a fine meal at Rendezvous...

And finally:

Here endeth the lesson.  Amen!

An interesting question...

Matt Hinton, aka Dr. Saturday, gives Josh Nesbitt some love today, examining his chances at the Heisman Trophy.  Thanks for the love...

Random Thoughts & Monday Musings...

"We lost again...That damn Joe Cox is making my bowels irritable...well, at least we can take the ridin' mower to Shreveport & the ASS WEASEL Bowl!"

Rivalry week is upon us & the Mutts are eerily silent as they contemplate their most recent meltdown against Kentucky this weekend. The week is off to an auspicious start...

• Georgia Southern head coach Chris Hatcher was told his contract would not be renewed after this season. The hottest name being floated out there was Tech recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach/GSU alum Giff Smith. Thankfully, Smith squashed the rumors as today he politely declined interest in the job. A-backs coach Jeff Monken may be a prime candidate for the job. Keeping Smith in the fold is huge for us as he is our point man in recruiting. Continuity is key here...

• CPJ's extension clearly sends a signal to all of our recruits that he's here to stay & won't entertain offers from other schools. With the turmoil in Athens, this may help us pick up one or two more highly regarded recruits (T.J. Stripling). Johnson quipped in his Sunday press conference, "they thought Georgia Southern might be coming after me".

• Stud Georgia WR A.J. Green, who missed the UK game with a shoulder injury (AC joint), will play on Saturday according to our sources. The same sources claim that drinking 7 shots of bourbon cures the common cold.

We're glad Mr. Green will play on Saturday. No excuses when we thump your asses this weekend, Mutts...

• What was LSU coach Les Miles thinking when he had QB Jordan Jefferson spike the ball & kill the game on Saturday? Ummmm, not much....he's Les Miles...clearly it wasn't coaching in last year's Chik-fil-a debacle...

• Charlie Weis is fired. Lost in all that hoopla was a great win by a UCONN program having as tough a year as any program I can remember. Congrats to UCONN head man & former Tech Defensive coordinator Randy Edsall, his team, & everyone around the program. Couldn't be any group more deserving...

• And this gem from Luke Murton last year:

Just a friendly reminder...the truth will set you free...

BourbonCon! Random Statistical Belligerence

The short week is getting in the way of our pre-BourbonCon responsibilities. Stupid job! Stupid Boss!

Above is statistical proof that UGA underperformed this year and Georgia Tech was wildly unpredictable, though it did improve throughout the year. Per Jeff Sagarin, Jeff Sagarin's ratings can be used to determine the spread on any game simply by finding the difference between two teams Sagarin Ratings and adding or subtracting 3 points (give or take) for home field advantage.

Theoretically this means we can compare the actual score of a game to the Sagarin generated spread and determine if a team over or under achieved. Any team that beats the Sagarin generated spread over achieved. For example, according to their Sagarin Ratings Georgia Tech (88.16) plus home field advantage (3.12) minus Wake Forest (71.92) was Sagarin favored by 19.3 points. Tech won by only three points. While a win is a win, the Jackets offense was pooptacular, and thus the team underperformed against Wake.

The above graph charts the difference between Tech and UGA's Sagarin generated spread in each game and their actual performance. The corresponding blue and red trend lines demonstrate that Tech, while erratic, improved throughout the year, while Georgia did not. In fact Georgia's trend line indicates a solid, consistent level of under performance

What's the Good Word...?

A fine good morning to you.  It's finally here: U(sic)GA week 2009.  So we'll kick it off in style.  First, listen to this.  Then listen again.  And again.  Many fine thanks to whomever at USCe put that together.  Simply outstanding.  If that dulcet tune didn't set the mood we'll try a picture:

An accurate summation of our feelings, young man...and a fine example of how to properly raise your children for all you parents out there...

One More Time with Feeling...

It's official: we'll play Climpsum in the ACC championship game. We're leaving for Tampa on Friday afternoon. Let us know where are peeps gonna be at in & around Ybor City. Hope to see ya' there...

Frank Lloyd Wrong's Picks

Boston College -3.5 over UNC
BC brings the 22nd best defense into this game against UNC's 13th ranked defence. Its going to be a slobber knocker and the winner stands a good chance of cracking the top 25. BC's been great at home, and running back Montel Harris is the best offensive player on the field. Take BC.
Ohio State -12.5 over Michigan
Michigan is currently tracking at 82 in the Sagarin Ratings. The spread can't be high enough to scare us off Ohio State.
Clemson -19.5 over Virginia
Have a feeling Dabo will go for the throat. An impressive victory or two could push Clemson into the top 15.
Texas Tech +4.5 against Oklahoma
Just don't trust OU this year, especially against the Cap'n. Remember what the Sooners did to Texas Tech last year? Mike Leach does.
Temple -12.5 over Kent State
A zesty line makes this an interesting game. Kent State can't hang with the Owls.
Northern Illinois -1.5 over Miami University
If we couldn't get on this spread fast enough. Miami is terrrrrrrrible!
UConn +5.5 against Notre Dame
Hard game to call, but we are counting on UConn's propensity for loosing by three
Wisconsin -5.5 over Northwestern
This game makes us Big Ten Sleepy. Wisconsin because you gotta pick someone.
Penn State -3.5 over Michigan State
Penn State's 51st ranked offence says no, but their #4 ranked defense say hell yeah!
Kentucky -7.5 against Georgia
Settle down Dawg Nation. Auburn has the 81st ranked defense in the country. You shouldn't be a seven point favorite over anyone.
Kansas State +15.5 against Nebraska
Classic. Nebraska will win, but 15.5 is a lot to ask out of that offense. God help the Big XII if Kansas State Wins.

Lock Down....

We said in this very space just the other day; Paul Johnson is not leaving Georgia Tech anytime soon.  Here's the proof: our fearless leader just signed a one-year contract extension thru 2016.  Here's to Dan Radakovich & The Institute for locking CPJ in.  And all you jealous programs & haters out there....SUCK IT!!!!!

Smokin' your ass like a cheap cigar until 2016....Bitches!!!!!

The Zen of Defense

Yesterday we posted two articles on Defense. Hash posted one on how a 4-3 defense can stop the option attack. It basically espoused the typical approach of "gap control". The tackle takes the dive, the end takes the quarterback and a linebacker or safety takes the pitch man. Everyone else works to contain the play and prevent cut backs or counter plays.

I actually think this is a recipe for disaster. It's passive and its predictable. Essentially, all you are doing is crossing your fingers and hoping one of your players makes a play or Tech makes an error, but you are playing Tech's game, and you are never going to win playing the other guy's game. You're asking your defensive tackle to beat a double team. You're asking your defensive end to shuffle sideways as fast as Josh Nesbitt runs, and you are asking your safety to make an open field tackle on Anthony Allen- every time. As for Tech making a mistake, how likely is that when your are essentially playing like a scout team defense?

Any coach that lines up and tries to simply control the gaps is going to get crushed by Paul Johnson. He'll figure out what you are doing, tweak his blocking scheme, call a counter or switch to the Mid-line or Belly Option and gouge you.

This brings me to the article I posted on the 3-3-5. Particularly the section that discusses why coaches that run Spread Option attacks like to hire 3-3-5 guys as defensive coordinators. At the core of the 3-3-5 is disguise and deception. Where players line-up is not indicative of their assignments after the snap. This makes the quarterback's pre-snap read difficult. It makes it hard for the offense to set up its blocking schemes, and it's easier to make plays against a confused offense.

In the example I gave yesterday, the quarterback may read the defensive end as the pitch key before the snap, but the end's responsibility may actually be the dive and a linebacker may step into the end spot to take the QB. A 3-3-5 defense isn't the only defense that can do this kind of thing - any defense with some basic zone blitz concepts can run this kind of play. The "33" just makes it an integral part of the defense.

I know what you are thinking: "But the defense doesn't know which side the offense is running the ball to, or even which option it is running". That's true in theory, but in reality, people, even Paul Johnson, have tendencies. That is where the Zen of Defense comes in. A defense's goal isn't to stop the offense from making plays. Its goal is that the offense doesn't make plays.

Confused?

Think about it. Tactically speaking there is no difference between a defensive end sacking a quarterback or the quarterback tripping over his own feet and falling down. A loss of down and distance is a loss of down and distance. Sometimes its dumb luck, like in this example, but there are things a defensive play caller can do to create luck. By changing up looks and play calls he can keep the offense off balance. If the offense can't get a good read on the defense it will be harder for it to find the weak link, even when that weak link is glaring. If the offense doesn't make a play, even when the defense is out of position, the defense wins.

Granted, no defensive coordinator wants blown assignments, but they are going to happen and a good mix of play calls can help mitigate that. Lets go back to my example from yesterday. Sure the defense doesn't know to which side the offense is going to run, but at the same time the offense doesn't know who's actually rushing the line. If its unclear whose rushing the line, then it's unclear which players the QB reads for his pitch keys. Now he's stuttering and thinking, and now your players have the advantage. That's coaching, not sitting in your gap and waiting for lightning to strike.

The trick for any defensive play caller is to strike a balance between doing the fundamentally sound thing and throwing in enough variety to keep the offense off balance. Against an option offense that means playing straight up gap assignment on most plays, but it also means picking the right spots to throw some variety at the offense to drive a shadow of doubt into the their mind. When that happens quarterbacks start falling down, wide open wide receivers don't get the ball, and offensive linemen miss blocks. It's the Zen of Defense.

Getting offensive....Woody Hayes style (sans punching any players)...

It's Michigan-Ohio State week & we're still holding out hope for the Tressel vs. Rodriguez Texas Cage match.  The world would be a better place.  But we got thinking about our own spread option offense & were reminded of the great quote by former Ohio State coach WoodyHayes on passing the football: "only three things can happen when you pass & two of them ain't good".  You can be sure that old bastard is smiling & has the channel locked in on the Jackets every Saturday during the Fall....

"Who needs a coat?  It's only snow.  I kick it Paul Johnson style"

A few thoughts, stats & musings on the offensive side of the ball...

• We're averaging 36 points per game, good for 11th best in the FBS.  That's up from 24.4 per game last year.  So much for the blueprint for stopping us.  We're still improving & learning the offense faster than defenses are evolving.
• It's mid-way through our second year of spread option football & I'm already tired of reading about the "blueprint" for stopping our offense.  Imagine how CPJ feels after 26 years?  There's no blueprint & you have to play "assignment" football against whatever offense you are playing.  Blown assignments = touchdowns.  I'm going to generously assist all our opposing coaches & tell them how to defeat our mighty offense: have better players.  Win one-on-one match-ups.  Have great players that simply shed blocks & make tackles.  Get penetration along the line & disrupt the mesh between QB & B-back.  Have your players conveniently evade our efforts to block them on the perimeter & then make tackles.  That's how you beat us.  Here endeth the lesson & for Emory Bellard's sake shut up about "blueprints" & "assignment football".
• We're second in the nation in rushing at 314 yards-per-game and average 5.44 yards-per-carry.  Anthony Allen leads the nation in yards -per-attempt at 10.58.
• we're #1 in time of possession at 34:25 per game.  Our ability to control the clock & limit our opponent's possessions, particularly in the second half, has been key to our success this year.
• We're converting on 3rd down 52.56% of the time, good for 3rd in the country
• We're 115th in passing in the country ar 135.5 yards-per-game.  This is huge for us!  Our ranking is to be expected due to the fact that we rarely throw the ball.  What's important is that we lead the nation in yards-per-attempt at 11.6 (a huge number!).  We also lead the nation in pass plays of over 50 yards with 8.  What's it all mean?  It means while we might not throw it a lot, when we do, we are very effective at gaining large chunks of yards.  After all, CPJ always says if he wants 5 yards he'll run the ball...

So we're significantly better this year on the offensive side of the ball this season.  We all expected this as we acclimated to our new system.  But what has made us better?  We're curious as to your answers?  Post your ideas & later we'll share our thoughts on why we've improved so much this year.... 

WARNING: ACTUAL FOOTBALL CONTENT

Following up on Hash’s defense inflected post, I’d like to take a closer look at Tech’s defense. I’ve heard many people compare Wommack to Willy Martinez, which is simply unfair. If Willy Martinez gets an "F", Wommack deserves an incomplete. Wommack got his start with Southern Mississippi back when they regularly took teams like Alabama to the wall before loosing 8 to 6. During that time the defensive staff at Southern Miss developed a defense known as the 3-3-5, or "33" defense. Most people don’t realize how radical a shift Dave Wommack’s defense is from the traditional blitz happy thing John Tenuta ran while at Tech. The change has been every bit as radical as what Paul Johnson did to the offense, only CPJ didn’t lose 75% of his offensive line.

Before we start I want to make it clear that I know nothing about football, what follows is a summary of what I’ve read. Feel free to throw down mad corrections.

So What is the 33 defense? It's Three Down Lineman, three linebackers, a rover, and four defensive backs.

The Rover is often described as a “free lancer”, but really he’s a second strong safety with read/react responsibilities similar to the quarterback in an option offense. Some schools, like Penn State, have given a linebacker similar responsibilities.

Southern Miss developed the defense to offset their lack of size on the defensive line. Southern Miss linemen would be "tweeners" at other schools i.e. bigger and slower than linebackers, but smaller and faster than traditional defensive lineman. The defense also requires less linemen. There are only so many 300 plus pound men to go around in this world, and Southern Miss was not winning many of those recruiting battles. The 3-3-5 allowed them to put more of the athletes they could get - linebacker and safeties , on the field at the same time.

They could also run it with less personnel, as it allows for fluid transitions into multiple sets. That was good for a school like Southern Miss whose first team matched up well with bigger programs, but couldn’t match those other schools depth.

So how does it work?

The key to the 33 is that even though you only have three down lineman, you can rush with any combination of the 11 players on the field, though you usually rely on your defensive lineman, safeties and linebackers.

Many 33 coaches teach their players to move around a lot before the snap of the ball. This helps to disguise where the rush is actually coming from. At the snap any combination of players may attack the line of scrimmage. The defense may simply rush the three defensive lineman, or they may rush the three lineman and a linebacker. But that's just the beginning, the 33 is capable of doing lots of exotic stuff with the rush. A coach can run all kinds of zone blitzes designed to attack the rush or the pass. He can drop a defensive end into coverage and stunt the linebacker and safety behind him.

It’s this flexibility that has made the 33 the defense of choice among spread option coaches like Paul Johnson and Rich Rodriguez. For example, on a typical triple option play the end is the read, but what if at the snap the defensive tackle drops into coverage, the defensive end crashes the dive play, which is usually the defensive tackles responsibility, and the linebacker swings out behind the end to take the quarterback? In this scenario the defense has switched the player the quarterback reads mid-play. That confusion can be used to arrest control away from the offense. Most of your more traditional defenses have to be content with passively playing gap assignment football and hoping there players make plays. The 3-3-5 can actually counter scheme the triple option, confuse the offense and put it on its heals. The 33 can do similar things to a traditional offense. Zone blitzes and exotic stunts can throw off quarterback reads and blocking schemes.

An additional advantage of the 33 comes from the flexibility of its players. Every player is essentially a hybrid player, which makes it possible for the 33 to borrow concepts from other systems without changing personnel. Want to run a 3-4 look? Just walk a safety into the box. Need a 4-4 on fourth and short? Have one linebacker crowd the line of scrimmage and walk two safeties into the box. This concept of multiple formations with the same personnel can be very helpful. It’s easier for the defense to react to the no-huddle because you don’t have to swap personnel to react to down and distance, and it allows you to keep your best players on the field.

A coach can also expand this concept of multiple sets/same personnel to an entire season. If a team has a shortage of personnel at one spot, like Tech did at linebacker last year, or an over abundance of talent at a position, like Tech did at defensive line last year, they can for go all that jumping around before the snap and just line players up in their natural position.

Last year Tech appeared to be in a lot of nickel formations because they only had two linebackers on the field, but in reality Michael Johnson or Derrick Morgan was really a third linebacker who simply lined up with a hand in the dirt, instead of shifting into that spot at the snap. They still ran the same concepts. Think of two of Michael Johnson’s biggest plays from last year: the pass break-up against Boston College and the touchdown return against Miami. On both plays Johnson, who led the team in sacks last year, dropped into coverage and made huge plays. This year Tech has lined up with a lot of three down lineman. Guess what? Tech doesn’t have four top quality defensive linemen this year. Thank you, Chan Gailey! From year to year Tech can adjust its formation to fit its personnel without having to teach new techniques.

The flexibility of the 3-3-5 has become a huge part of the defense. You don’t see a lot of pure 3-3-5 alignments in college football, but there are a lot of teams (Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Florida) that run 3-3-5 systems but lineup in traditional formations.

The other unique aspect of the 3-3-5 is the Rover. If a team’s depth chart shows four down lineman, three linebacker, and some guy playing, Rover, Bandit, Wolf, Gator, Monster, or some other random thing, they are probably utilizing some 3-3-5 concepts. The Rover is essentially your best player. He has to be very athletic, able to make plays at the line of scrimmage and in coverage, and very smart. The Rover is often asked to make pre-snap reads. This not only allows the defense to get its best player involved with more plays, but it also further disguises the defensive play call. It’s a little like the spread option in that respect. An offense can’t scheme to stay away from Morgan Burnett because not even Morgan Burnett knows where he’s going to be before the snap of the ball.

The 33 defense is complex and requires players to master many skills and to work with a high level of awareness on the field. The advantages are great. It’s flexible and unpredictable.

It’s difficult to judge the job Dave Wommack has done. Think about the offensive struggles Tech had against Miami and try to imagine how much harder it would be to overcome that game if Jonathan Dwyer, Josh Nesbitt and Roddy Jones had graduated last year. That’s essentially what happened when Vance Walker, Daryl Richard, and Michael Johnson were drafted into the NFL. Tech’s defense has struggled this year but the coaching staff has repeatedly made meaningful halftime adjustments. As the year has gone on the defense has improved, which is also a credit to the coaching staff. They’ve really only played two bad quarters (the first half of the Vanderbilt game) since the Florida State game.

NEWS FLASH

Per 11alive.com " University of Georgia mascot Uga VII died Thursday afternoon.The cause of Uga VII's death was not immediately reported."

Undisclosed? Foul play? Suicide? Having the will to live beaten out of you by watching every single snap of UGA football this year? Who Knows?

What we do know is UGA now has a reason to play this year. Forget the Gipper, "Lets win one for Loren's Best!"

Wonder if they are going to find another crime against nature before the Clean Old Fashion Hate.

What's in a Name

The talking heads on the radio have finally come to their senses and realized Notre Dame is not a better job than Georgia Tech. For posterity here are the two programs respective records since 1996, the year Lou Holtz retired for the first time.

1997 - Bob Davie - 7-6 : lost Independence Bowl /George O'Leary - 7-5 : won Carquest Bowl

1998 - Bob Davie - 9-3 : lost Gator Bowl /George O'Leary - 10-2 : won Gator Bowl and share of ACC title

1999 - Bob Davie - 5-7 : no bowl game / George O'Leary - 8-4 : lost Gator Bowl

2000 - Bob Davie - 9-3 : lost Fiesta Bowl / George O'Leary - 9-3 : lost Peach Bowl

2001 - Bob Davie - 5-6 : no bowl game /George O'Leary/Mac McWhorter - 7-5 :won Seattle Bowl

2002 - George O'Leary/Ty Willingham /10-3 : lost Gator Bowl - Chan Gailey - 7-6 : lost Silicon Valley Classic (not a golf tournament)

2003 - Ty Willingham - 5-7 : no bowl game / Chan Gailey - 7-6 : Won Humanitarian Bowl

2004 - Ty Willingham/Kent Baer - 6-6 : no bowl game / Chan Gailey - 7-5: Won Champs Sports Bowl

2005 - Charlie Weis - 9-3 : lost Fiesta Bowl / Chan Gailey - 7-5 : Lost Emerald Bowl

2006 - Charlie Weis - 10-3 : lost Sugar Bowl / Chan Gailey - 9-6 : Lost ACC Championship game (aka worst game ever played) and lost Gator Bowl

2007 - Charlie Weis - 3-9 : no bowl game / Chan Gailey - 7-6 : Lost Humanitarian Bowl

2008 - Charlie Weis - 7-6 : Won Hawaii Bowl / Paul Johnson - 9-4 : Lost Peach Bowl to LSU

The totals for that period:

Notre Dame Winning Percentage = 57.8%
Georgia Tech Winning Percentage = 62.7%

Notre Dame Bowl Appearances = 7
Georgia Tech Bowl Appearances = 13

Notre Dame Bowl Record = 14.3%
Georgia Tech Bowl Record = 41.7%

Notre Dame Top 25 Finishes = 5
Georgia Tech Top 25 Finishes = 3

Notre Dame Accomplishments of Note = Lost three BCS Games in 2000, 2005 and 2006, but did not finish in the top ten in any season.
Georgia Tech Accomplishments of Note = Share of ACC title in 1998, and Appearance in ACC title game in 2006.

Notre Dame is a better job? Really?

For those technically oriented....

We spend far too much time thinking about football.  Option football in particular.  We ran across this & thought it worth sharing:  Defending option football.  It's rather simplistic & doesn't go into too much detail but a fine read, especially for those who want a basic understanding on the option & how to defend it.  Just remember, the Triple Option is ONE PLAY in our spread option offense!  Imagine how hard it is to prepare for us if you add in our other series e.g. midline, freeze, counter, trap, speed, plus passing plays, just to name a few.  Our offense is not a gimmick, it's a lead pipe...which we use to beat you into submission.  Good read on a bye week....

Rooting Interests...the Schadenfreude edition....

We'll revel in the misfortune of others this week as we begin to gear up for Clean Old Fashioned Hate.  Speaking of that, we need a new title.  What's clean about the Mutts this year...?

They trash their "beloved" campus....cretins (so begins a week of egregious pot shots...)

But we digress.  On to the Schadenfreude edition of Those for Whom We Root:

• Chaos is South Bend.  It's been well documented that we find Notre Dame & their legion of moronic sidewalk fans to be nothing more than a gaggle of sanctimonious bastards.  So we can't help but sit back & smile as things begin to unravel in Assville, Indiana.  What's gonna happen to Fat Charlie?  In the immortal words of the Clash (a fine band, we might add): "will he stay or will he go?".  Ahh, this is almost bloodsport watching fat Charlie Weis squirm, as now even the local papers have turned on him.  It's like watching a giant catfish being landed by a bunch of drunken Cajuns.  It's bound to be entertaining & somebody's gonna show their ass....Priceless entertainment.  So we'll root for more chaos & leave you with this gem...

Posting this never gets old....

• Corey Zickefoose.  Hey Lane Kiffin....karma's a bitch, ain't she?  Should have shut that pie hole & concentrated on keeping your players outta jail instead of riling up the entire Southeast with your grandstanding.  But God bless armed robbery victim & rabid Vol fan Corey Zickefoose, who steadfastly stands by his men:

  "I think they should still be able to play football, regardless.  Tennessee is my place.  It's my football team." 

"Even after they put a gun in your face?" asked a local reporter...

"Yeah, it's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes" answered Zickefoose.

           Absolutely priceless, sir.  We couldn't have said it better ourselves: "yeah, it's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes."  We're rooting for you & the shenanigans in Knoxvegas to  continue.  Sounds like a reasonable enough fella, Mr. Zickefoose...

• The restaurant industry in Lawrence, Kansas.  Owners are trembling in fear this week as the University of Kansas announced it was launching an investigation into the apparent unseemly behavior of head football coach Mark Mangino.  What's unseemly about eating your offensive coordinator & then snacking on a punter?  A man has needs you know....We must offer into evidence that we know of what we speak when we talk of girth & largess.  Hell, Hash & Frank represent a solid quarter ton on the hoof.  But there are 2 of us & only 1 of the Mighty Mangino.  So layoff, Kansas.  He was a little grumpy & hadn't eaten in a while...The man's a modern day Weeble-Wobble....

Would the real Mark Mangino please stand up?  Please stand up? 

And finally, we're most definitely rooting for....

• A "last-man-standing" Texas cage match in Ann Arbor.  Tressel vs. Rodriguez in a full scale, winner-take-all brawl.  We're giddy just thinking about it.  A rivalry in which we have no stake is suddenly compelling.  This is some serious shit.  On the order of George Bush vs. Kim Jong-il.  Two morons slugging it out in a battle of mediocrity.  In one corner, the ultra-conservative Tressel, a man whose ability to squander talent is matched only by his offense's ineffectiveness.  Think Ray Goff in a sweater vest with a midwestern accent.  His idea of exciting is a draw play on third down.  Offensive innovation be damned.  In the other corner the nefarious Rich Rod, dirtbag extraordinaire.  This man is the closest thing to Jackie Sherrill since....Jackie Sherrill.  He makes Danny Ford look like a choir boy.  Not only can he cheat, he can manage to cheat & lose, all the while destroying a once proud football program.  But wait, both these guys need to survive....as long as their around the Big 11 will suck worse than our beloved ACC.

"I'm fixin' to fuck your shit up, Sweatervest..." 

"Watch your language, you're offending my Midwestern sensibilities, ...Cheaterboy...."

Highlights....

This week's highlights vs. Duke as composed by the Tech video department.  If you haven't been here, this is our recruiting website.  Check it out for some cool stuff...

White Russians & Walter's....

Without further ado we bring you this week's edition...

White Russians:

For service to the Institute above & beyond the normal call of duty & general badassedness...

• Sean Bedford.  Once a walk-on, now our starting center, Bedford has twice this year been named ACC offensive lineman of the week.  Check out this article from the NY Times on our man.  Absolutely love the Derrick Morgan "academic suicide" quote.  Here's to you, sir, and as you probably are too busy studying, we'll polish off that drink for you...

Why yes, he is a rocket scientist.....

• The bye week.  Finally!  After 11 consecutive games including a 12 day stretch where we played three games (a big fat UP YOURS to ACC commissioner John "Ass- hat" Swofford for that one), the Jackets desperately need a break.  While we've managed to avoid major injuries, we're knicked up & the extra week to heal & get ready for the Mutts will help.  Without a game this weekend we'll be lost & wandering around aimlessly , possibly sober (gasp...) so if you see us, please call our owners, I mean wives, & help us get home.  
• Ben Anderson.  One of our greatest weaknesses this year has been the inability of anyone other than Derrick Morgan to generate a pass rush.  Not so this weekend against Duke as the junior defensive tackle was a one-man wrecking crew.  5 tackles, 3 of them for loss, 2 sacks & an afternoon spent harassing Thad Lewis.  Nice work, #98...

Barkeep, a white russian for Mr. Anderson....

• An 8pm kick for the Mutts.  We think this is deserving of a white russian?  Or maybe 63 gallons of "the brown" as it's referred to around here?  12 hours of tailgating will certainly have us in the right frame of mind to beat Georgia.  Let's hope we survive & make it to kickoff.  There may be self-imposed bourbon probation that Saturday....and wife imposed bourbon probation after....

Walter's:

There are rules, Smokey!!!!

• The punt team.  First of all, we punted in the second half.  FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 6 GAMES!  What the hell is going on down there on North Ave. ?  A punt?  In the second half?  We have to correct this.  Absolutely unacceptable.  This will not be tolerated.  (Snapping of fingers above Hash's head...) I'm awake now.  I dreamt I was an SEC fan & that even though my team won 49-10 this weekend to clinch a berth in the conference championship game, I was going to spend the week bitching about minutiae & other nonsense.  A nightmare, you say?  Indeed!  But really, we won 49-10 & did clinch a spot in Tampa Bay.  Other than the botched snap on a punt in the first half, there's not a whole lot to bitch about.  So we won't.  We'll begin to gas up the hate machine as the Inbreds arrive next Saturday....

Coach Johnson's Day Off

What did Coach Johnson do with his day off?

Three words "Remote" "Control" "Puppies"! Adorable and Unstoppable

Balls or Brains, You Make the Call

Though rooted in the NFL, Belichek's decision to go for it on 4th down has driven some interesting research which may cast some light on Paul Johnson's testicular fortitude, i.e. he may just know something we don't. Check out Sports Nation. According to their numbers, going for it on fourth down, even from his on 28, was 9% more likely to produce victory than punting the ball away. Unfortunately for Belichek, when you live by the numbers you die by the numbers, but if the odds are right, he'll win more than he loses, like Paul Johnson.

Dealing with success....

Our therapist(s) have repeatedly asked us to 1) shower, 2) stop drinking so damn much, & 3) let our feelings out, i.e. don't internalize, "set your inner self free", and other such nonsense. So there are a couple things that have been bothering us we need to address...

Tech Fans: Stop this Nonsense.....

First & foremost: Paul Johnson is not leaving Georgia Tech!!!! Stop being such a chicken-shit group of wusses. Please, this shit is driving us crazy. Let's count the reasons why:

• $2.3 million (possibly $2.6 with incentives this season) making him the 18th highest paid football coach in the country. There will be more $ if we continue to win. I have it from a very reliable source (we were right about the U(sic)GA game time, weren't we?) that Auburn offered CPJ upwards of $4 million per year to jump ship after last season. He's still here. He's paid well & not motivated solely by money. Relax...
• He promised his daughter, a sophomore in high school, that she would finish school here. Does he seem like the kind of guy to break a promise to his daughter?
• He & his family like Atlanta. They like the weather. They like Tech. CPJ likes the golf. It's convenient to North Carolina where he grew up. They just got here....
• He said last week on the radio show the last place he wants to coach is Notre Dame...
• Tech is a VERY, VERY good job. How many jobs in the country are better? 10? 20? How many suit CPJ better? None. How many have openings? He's paid well, our facilities are good, Georgia is a great place to recruit (& he has tons of connections with High School coaches from his time at Georgia Southern) &, (collective gasp from the audience...) he likes it here!
• It doesn't fit the pattern. CPJ is a driven individual. He's a winner. As long as there are challenges to be met at Tech he will be here. What has he accomplished so far? A lot, but there's so much left to be done. He's the first to admit that. CPJ left GSU because after 2 national championships & a yearly berth in the then Division 1-AA playoffs he had little left to prove. Time for a new challenge. On to the United States Naval Academy & a new challenge. Seven Commander-in-Chief trophies. Two ten win seasons. Several top 25 rankings. A victory over Notre Dame. What was left to accomplish? Let's be real, CPJ had reached the ceiling at Navy. Will his "gimmick" offense work against the "big boys" of college football? Off to The Flats to find out.....We haven't won anything yet, why leave now?

So relax. The best analogy I've heard to this is that Tech fans are the same guys who, when out on a date with a really hot girl, turn to her at dinner & say,"you're so hot, I really can't believe you're going out with me". Grow a set.....

Relax, he'll be here a while....stop with the "self-fulfilling prophecy" B.S. ...

A corollary to the above: you need good players if you want to have a good football team. Brilliant deduction on our part. We just figured it out yesterday. And guess what? Good players are highly sought after to play the game of football for.....MONEY. Shocking, we know, the NFL luring our stars with the Siren's song of cash, cars, women, & fame. Get real, people. As a good football team our best players will leave Tech early. And we say: GOOD FOR THEM!

You gotta be a f%^&$ing moron to turn down $15 million dollars guaranteed at that age. Come back later & get your degree. We highly encourage that. But a professional football career is a fickle & temporal thing (kinda like our wives attitudes towards us....). And $10-15 million bucks buys a lot of bourbon & lap dances. Hell, we'll be lucky to make a fraction of that in our lifetime...Strike while you can. Why risk a potential career ending injury or having your draft stock plummet with a poor season (see Bradford, Sam. QB. Oklahoma Sooners)? Our Tech players give us everything they have year around. I'm confident in that. They owe us nothing. So be prepared & revel in these last two opportunities to see Derrick Morgan, Jon Dwyer, BayBay Thomas, & Morgan Burnett play. We know positively that Morgan is leaving for the NFL. And we're very confident that Dwyer is headed to "the Show". Jury is still out on BayBay & Burnett, but we're sure they'll have their draft status evaluated. If they go, good for them & thanks for the memories. If they stay, GREAT for us, their teammates & our prospects for next season. We should support them in whatever they do....

Go on, take the money & run....it's ok with us....

So we have to confront success. It's a bitch, but better than the alternative. Our success will bring about new challenges. People will try to lure our coach away. Players will leave early for the NFL. I'll go out on a limb & guess we'll see an increase in season ticket prices next year. Welcome to the big time. We asked for it, now deal with it.....and don't whine like a bitch.....Thank you, purge/rant ended...