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Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > August > 15
Friday, August 15, 2008
Jones ‘A’ big part of Tech’s plans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Give Roddy Jones an “A” for being astute.
After Paul Johnson was hired to coach Georgia Tech, Jones made it a point to watch Navy’s bowl game. He even hopped on the Internet to view clips of Johnson’s offense. And when Tech’s new coaches told Jones they wanted him to play A-back, he didn’t say, “What’s an A-back?” He already knew.
At a time when some Jackets are still struggling with the ABCs of Johnson’s option-based spread, the A-back from Stone Mountain has already immersed himself in nuance. Heck, Jones practically offers a tutorial.
Where do the A-backs (there are two on every snap) position themselves? “Three feet outside the tackle,” Jones said, smiling. How often does an A-back venture in motion? “Ninety-nine percent of the time.” And does an A-back ever receive the ball on a straight handoff from the quarterback? “We don’t have a play like that in our playbook, at least not now.”
Said Jeff Monken, specifically charged with coaching A-backs: “I wouldn’t necessarily say Roddy’s a typical kid. He hurt his hamstring and missed a week of practice, and he still knows the plays better than anyone. He takes tremendous pride in that. He’s something.”
This marks the third time Monken has helped Johnson install his stylized spread, and Tech represents the most radical transition. “They have no background in this offense, no basis,” Monken said. “They did at Navy and Georgia Southern. They at least knew what it meant when we said, ‘Go in tail motion and catch a pitch.’ Right now it’s like teaching a new sport. Because that’s what this is - like playing a different sport.”
At Chamblee High, Jones was a traditional tailback in the I-formation. He ran inside. He didn’t block much. He didn’t catch many passes. Guess what an A-back’s responsibilities are.
Said Jones: “Catching pitches, running pass patterns, blocking safeties and defensive ends.”
The A-backs are slot backs, and they’re interchangeable. (Meaning: No A-positive and A-negative, no A-right and A-left.) They’re the pitch men on option plays, but they’re also lead blockers for the B-back, who’s a hybrid tailback/fullback. And they’re also deep threats in the passing game.
“They’ve got to have a good set of hands, and not every running back is gifted that way,” Monken said. “We’re not just running swing routes. Our guys have to run 40 yards downfield and catch the ball in traffic.”
A redshirt freshman, Jones is quick but not immense. (He’s 5-foot-9, 194 pounds.) He bears a physical resemblance to Jerry Mays, the Ramblin’ Runt of the late ’80s who likewise wore No. 20. But Mays was a tailback, albeit a tiny one. An A-back isn’t going to touch the ball nearly so often.
Monken again: “It’s a rarity when a single slot back gets double-digit carries in a game. He might get eight or nine carries, and he might catch it two or three times.”
You’d think a back accustomed to being more featured might be taken, ahem, aback by this seemingly reduced role. Jones isn’t at all. He loves the offense. He’s already a believer. Of Johnson’s hiring, he said: “I thought, ‘Wow, this guy’s been a winner wherever he’s been - there must be a method to his madness.’ “
Jones doesn’t mind having to block more, and he’s working hard at catching passes. (“You want to be known as sure-handed.”) And he, perhaps alone among Jackets, doesn’t see why there’s such a fuss over Johnson’s offense. It is, after all, still football.
Said Jones, smiling again: “It’s not rocket science.”
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