Moving to a new location
AJC blogs are moving to a new technical platform. So check out Terence Moore’s new blog home and bookmark it.
Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > September
September 2008
Johnson better than Gailey for Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Under Chan Gailey, Georgia Tech loses on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium against a significantly improved Duke team that nevertheless shouldn’t beat this group of Yellow Jackets.
Under Paul Johnson, well, let’s just say his streaking players will continue their rise in his first season at Tech with a 4-1 record by the end of the evening.
You can feel it.
You can hear it.
You also can see it.
That’s because Johnson is the epitome of whatever “it” is that gives the Yellow Jacket Nation the confidence that one of his teams won’t get smacked into embarrassment by a foe that should just get smacked.
It’s the little things that make Johnson better than Gailey in these types of games. Take, for instance, Johnson’s thoughts on Tuesday at the Edge Center regarding Duke playing his Navy teams for six years before joining Tech. “Those kids [on Duke] have seen this [triple-option] offense a lot, so it’s going to help them,” said Johnson, easing into a quick smile. “I’ve also seen them, so I think it will help me.”
It will. Despite new philosophies on offense and defense, Johnson has watched his young Jackets manage victories against Jacksonville State, Boston College (on the road) and Mississippi State. They also dropped a close game in Blacksburg against surging Virginia Tech.
Whether Gailey does all of that and then beats Duke is questionable.
Now don’t get me wrong. Contrary to the opinions of Gailey’s slew of detractors, he wasn’t overmatched during his six years at Tech through the 2007 season. He was a decent-to-good college football coach. It’s just that Johnson is a good-to-great college football coach. That means his Jackets usually will have the focus they need for these types of games instead of whatever they had under Gailey.
“The difference is, Paul wills them to win, and he won’t tolerate them not playing to perfection,” said Dorsey Watson, 68, a Tech fan since the late 1950s. He drives to games with his wife in a 1976 Dodge RV that he calls “The Buzz Mobile.” Added Watson, shaking his head over the clunkers for Gailey in these types of games, “There were thousands of them. Well, maybe not that many, but it seems that way.”
How about Gailey’s first season in 2002, when the Jackets fell to that Wake Forest of awfulness before it became this Wake Forest of significance? There was the Duke fiasco two years later when that Duke was the antithesis of this one. No way the Jackets should get hammered at North Carolina in 2004 after surviving Clemson in Death Valley the week before. In subsequent years, there were silly losses for the Jackets to underdog teams from North Carolina State and Virginia.
Plus, although Boston College entered last year’s game with Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ eventual No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, Tech was ranked 15th in the nation at the time to Boston College’s 21.
Tech lost by 17 — at home.
We’re back to Johnson, who was asked about whether he discussed goals with his Jackets during their just-completed off-week. “My big picture is the Duke game. That’s the only picture [Tech players] need to worry about right now,” Johnson said. “You better take care of your business at home. It’s a conference game. It’s a team that’s 3-1 that’s coming in. That’s more than enough for us to worry about.
“When you start looking ahead, you’ll be looking back in misery.”
Ask Gailey’s Jackets.
Permalink | Comments (44) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech/ACC
Good teams would have beaten sloppy Panthers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charlotte — If you’re the Falcons, you have to win this game. That’s because if you’re breathing inside of an NFL uniform, you have to win any game that folks across the way are trying to give you.
On Sunday, for instance, the Carolina Panthers evolved into bumbling hosts after they intercepted Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan on the third play of the afternoon at Bank of America Stadium and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.
Well, so it seemed. The play was nullified by the first of 11 penalties for the Panthers when Julius Peppers was called for roughing the passer.
Gaffe after gaffe by the Panthers kept the Falcons alive on the scoreboard despite Carolina eventually rolling up 401 yards in offense to the Falcons’ 268. Such gaffes by an opponent usually motivate good teams toward victory, but that’s the problem with the Falcons. At least right now, they aren’t a good team.
“Not only from this game, but we’ve taken from the Tampa Bay game as well that it’s going to be tough to win on the road, and that we have to buckle down and find ways to focus better,” said linebacker Michael Boley after his Falcons were more sloppy than the Panthers in a 24-9 loss. The Falcons fell to the Buccaneers three games ago by the same score.
Not coincidentally, the Buccaneers and the Panthers are among the league’s better teams. The Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs are among the worst, and the 2-2 Falcons flattened both of them.
So, if you haven’t figured it out by now, the Falcons can whip the feeble, but they proved again that they haven’t a clue against the strong — even when the strong is vulnerable. While the Panthers contributed to the horrible play by both teams with penalties, the Falcons did so in just about every other way imaginable.
They dropped seven passes, including at least three that would have produced first downs. They missed a slew of tackles. They converted just 2-of-13 third-down situations. They never touched (literally) Panthers quarterback Jack Delhomme on his way to completing 20-of-29 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and a ridiculous passer rating of 124.8. They also watched a ghastly secondary performance nearly put Panthers wide receivers Mushin Muhammad and Steve Smith in this season’s Pro Bowl in one game.
“The things that went on out there, as far as the Falcons are concerned, they’re all things that we can fix,” said Mike Smith, the Falcons’ first-year NFL head coach and den leader of a dramatically young team with 23 of the 53 players on its roster (43 percent) owning less than three seasons of experience. Added Smith, “We’re trying to get incrementally better every day, and we know there are going to be some days that we’re going to have some setbacks in terms of what we’re trying to get done.
“We don’t talk about wins and losses, but we do talk about the process. If our guys continue to work hard, we’re going to like the outcome at the end of the season.”
The thing is, you’ve had coaches who have told the eternal truth about the NFL for decades. That truth has ranged from somebody saying, “The future is now” to another guy proclaiming, “NFL stands for not for long” to the famous, “You play to win the game.”
In other words, the Falcons need to turn Smith’s “process” into victories sooner than later, especially in games like these.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Enough with the ‘blackout’, ok?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This “blackout” thing has gotten out of control for Georgia football. I mean, didn’t coach Mark Richt have the Bulldog Nation do this last season?
Yep. Twice.
First, the Bulldogs exchanged their traditional red jerseys for black ones during a home game last November against Auburn. Then they switched to black jerseys again during their trip to the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii.
Enough, already. If you do this kind of thing too much (like three times in a span of nine games for Georgia), you dilute the effectiveness of it all. You also get your opponent rather peeved. That’s because you’re basically saying that you’re REALLY out to get that opponent.
Even so, Richt has instructed those into barking to wear black on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium for the nationally televised game between his No. 3-ranked team and No. 8 Alabama.
Just guessing: Despite the shrugging this week from Nick Saban during his news conference, the Alabama head coach and master motivator likely has spent the last few days telling his players often about Georgia’s upcoming “blackout.”
“I don’t think you do it too much, but our fans really enjoyed it (and) our players certainly enjoyed it (last year),” Richt said earlier in the week. “I thought of the outstanding success as far as the fans buying into the request of the seniors (to wear black) and the fans just having a ball with it. I would think they would get excited about the blackout again.”
Yeah, those inside the Bulldog Nation are excited about it, and they’ll remain that way regarding these “blackouts” as long as Georgia keeps winning them. The Bulldogs were 2-0 in “blackouts” last season, because those games were fresh back then.
Now those games are on the verge of joining Notre Dame’s green jersey in the stale category.
In case you didn’t know, Notre Dame made this jersey-switching fashionable. In 1977, when Fighting Irish coach Dan Devine was searching for a way to end Southern Cal’s dominance over Notre Dame, he surprised his team with a switch from their traditional blue jerseys to green ones before the opening kickoff. Notre Dame eventually cruised to a 30-point victory.
It’s just that several of Devine’s successors at Notre Dame began using green jerseys for a slew of games instead of for special ones — you know, with years in between.
The results? Often not good. Here are a couple of examples: While clad in those green jerseys, the Irish lost by 17 points to Colorado in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, and they dropped a 35-28 decision to Georgia Tech in the 1999 Gator Bowl.
Georgia in black is about another “blackout” or so away from becoming Notre Dame in green, and that’s not good.
Permalink | Comments (349) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA/SEC
Aaron recalls making call on Chipper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Hank Aaron leaves you a message to call his southwest Atlanta home as soon as possible, you dial his number even faster than that. Said the man who is baseball’s legitimate home run king instead of that other guy, “Something has just been bothering me, really. I don’t mind other things, but somehow, some things need to be spelled out correctly.”
To put it bluntly, Aaron wants everybody to know that Chipper Jones is spending another season racing toward Cooperstown mostly because of the Braves’ farm director years ago instead of its general manager. For the record, Aaron was that farm director, and Bobby Cox was that general manager.
So brace yourselves. This is another version of Ken Herock vs. Jerry Glanville. Instead of those former Falcons officials haggling over who really was responsible for trading future Hall of Famer Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers in the early 1990s, this is about who really was responsible for the Braves signing Jones about that same time.
This is the same Jones who is closing in on a batting title to grace his résumé, which already includes a National League MVP award, more home runs than any switch hitter not named Mickey Mantle or Eddie Murray, and a World Series ring.
“I was listening to something [last week] on television where Bobby was talking about how, when Chipper came to the team, he took him aside to tell him what we did to get him here, and I was stunned, really,” said Aaron, before recalling a conversation he had with Braves officials in 1990 when they owned the No. 1 pick before that June draft. By the time of the draft, Aaron had been promoted to senior vice president.
Said Aaron, with a sigh, “I told Bobby. I told them all, and I told them, ‘Y’all better go and get Chipper Jones.’ “
That was opposed to pitcher Todd Van Poppel, Cox’s first choice, according to Aaron. “I talked to Van Poppel’s daddy, and he told me that he wasn’t going to sign with the Braves, but that’s who Bobby wanted with that first pick, because he always was into getting pitching.”
Cox looked perplexed when informed of Aaron’s remarks, saying, “Well, we had a lot of people see [Van Poppel], and they liked him. Some other [Braves scouts] went to see Chipper, and they liked him a lot. I can’t remember if I had Hank talk to Van Poppel’s father or not, but [Van Poppel] was unsignable. And we needed to know that beforehand. So that’s why it really was an easy decision to take Chipper. He wanted to sign. He wasn’t playing games with the college thing. It was simple. I mean, Chipper was the guy.”
Was he?
Aaron forced a chuckle. He mentioned how Van Poppel was taken 13 picks after Jones, played for six teams and retired with a 40-52 record and 5.58 ERA. “The kid never did anything, and that’s who Bobby wanted,” Aaron said. “But every time you listen, it’s always like, ‘Oh, yeah. We always wanted to sign Chipper Jones.’ The only reason they didn’t take Van Poppel was because of what I told them about what his daddy told me.”
If this sounds like a conflict between Aaronand Cox, now the Braves’ field manager, well, you make the call. Said Aaron of his relationship with Cox, “I just talk to him, you know. What bothers me is that when he became general manager [in 1985], there absolutely was no connection between the two of us.
“Here I am the farm director, and we have a bad ballclub, and it seems like he would talk to me about the kids we have in the minor leagues. It didn’t happen.”
Said Cox, “I like Henry. I thought he did everything great. We tried to include him in everything.”
Here’s my suggestion: How about Jones joining Aaron and Cox in the same room this winter for a group hug?
Permalink | Comments (37) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves/MLB
Next game a better gauge of Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So what does it mean in the grand scheme of the NFL universe that the Falcons spent Sunday at the Georgia Dome drop kicking their second bad opponent of the season after getting knocked silly by the only good team they’ve played?
It means the Falcons’ game next week against a real team in Charlotte will indicate what we have here. For now, after their 38-14 victory over absolutely horrible Kansas City, they’ve proven that the Chiefs are on the verge of scraping the bottom of the league with the Detroit Lions — you know, the other absolutely horrible team that the Falcons beat.
That said, the answers will come in a hurry as to whether these Falcons are closer to becoming Dirty Birds or Dodo Birds. After that trip on Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons travel to Green Bay, where the Packers still are rather formidable without that No. 4 guy, and then the Chicago Bears come to town with their nasty defense. Win a couple of those games, and the Mike Smith regime is a semi-miracle during its first season. Lose a couple of them (or all of them), and it’s the same old Falcons of late.
“When we play tougher competition, we have to step up to the plate, and we have to beat good teams,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “What’s coming up (Carolina, Green Bay, Chicago) is a real crucial stretch for us. It’s a tough schedule, but that’s how you tell whether you’re a good team or not. You can win all of your games at home and be 8-8, but the good teams win on the road.”
Good teams also beat good teams. As for whatever you call these Falcons, they hadn’t a problem in their season opener against the toothless Lions, but then came their trip last week to Tampa Bay. That’s where the Buccaneers did two things in a hurry: They made quarterback Matt Ryan stop streaking toward all-everything status after his debut against Detroit by making him resemble the rookie that he is. They also kept Michael Turner from two consecutive games of imitating LaDainian Tomlinson, the guy he used to back up in San Diego.
Here’s our point: With the Chiefs as the latest bad team across the way for the Falcons, Ryan began streaking again (120.6 passer rating). Turner returned to his LT thing by rushing for 104 yards, including a bruising run of 38 yards for highlight films. White continued his flirtation with reaching the elite receivers with five catches for 119 yards, punctuated by a 70-yard touchdown play to the post. Plus, the defense had John Abraham pushing his NFL-leading sack total from four to six and the secondary grabbing three interceptions.
Little of that happened against the Buccaneers. But you know what? Take it from defensive tackle Grady Jackson, among those around for the Falcons’ 4-12 disaster of last season.
To paraphrase, their 2-1 record is better than most of the alternatives.
“I mean, it’s football. You can get beat on any given Sunday,” said Jackson, whose Falcons have proven as much often through the years. They haven’t finished with a winning season since reaching the NFC championship game after the 2004 season, so this is a start. Added Jackson, “We have to keep finding ways to chop away at the wood and play hard. People say we’re beating bad teams, but we just have to keep going out there and doing what we do. We were picked to have one or two wins this year. So far, we’re already there.”
Good point.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Paul Johnson seeks Tech perfection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By the end of Sunday night, Georgia Tech will be in somebody’s Top 25. Well, the Yellow Jackets should be. And just think about this: They haven’t been so honored in more than a year.
Now think about this: They have a new coach, a new quarterback, a new offensive system and a new defensive system. Even so, they have a splendid grasp of all of those new things. They also have a 3-1 record that was a few gaffes at Virginia Tech from evolving into 4-0. Not only that, they have a chance for an even loftier national ranking with Duke and Gardner-Webb up next before a trip to Death Valley to face a Clemson team that was underwhelming against the only real team (Alabama) it has faced this season.
Now think about this: After the Jackets’ shockingly easy dismantling of Mississippi State on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium, they are hinting of reliving the consistent days of George O’Leary and Bobby Dodd sooner rather than later under Paul Johnson.
Then again, maybe it’s best for the Tech Nation to take just one moment at a time, because that’s the way the Jackets’ first-year head coach wants it.
Tech offensive tackle Andrew Gardner nodded after the Jackets’ 38-7 victory over Mississippi State, before recalling the sour mood of his coach during parts of the afternoon. “I don’t think he would be fully satisfied until we were undefeated and blew everybody out,” Gardner said. “And even then, there probably would be some problems he would discover.”
This isn’t to say Johnson’s obsession with perfection isn’t warranted. Consider, for instance, that the Jackets’ defense relinquished 407 yards to a historically weak Mississippi State offense that managed just 116 yards the previous week against Auburn. So Johnson heated the walls of Tech’s locker room at intermission despite the 21-0 score. He knew the bottom line worked this time for his defense, but what about when the Jackets are playing an offense with a clue?
“[Johnson] pointed out that they didn’t punt at all in the first half, and that was a big light bulb that went off in our heads when he said that,” said Tech cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels, whose interception was one of the four turnovers forced by Tech’s defense to counter the Bulldogs’ huge yardage total. “Basically, it was like, if we’re going to be a successful defense and let people know that we don’t back down from anybody and show that we are physical and well-polished, we better come out the second half and show it.”
They showed it by keeping Mississippi State out of the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter. In contrast, Johnson’s triple-option displayed its worth early and often along the way to a ridiculous 500 yards (438 on the ground) against one of the nation’s best defenses.
Jonathan Dwyer rushing for 141 yards was nice. So was freshman quarterback Jaybo Shaw replacing an injured Josh Nesbitt early in the first quarter and making a seamless transition. It’s just that Johnson has Tech rolling faster and farther than expected because of big and little stuff.
For instance: Tech threw only nine times during the game. That means the Jackets wide receivers did what?
“They really blocked their tails off,” Johnson said. “We weren’t throwing the ball much, because of the way they were playing [on defense], and rather than hang their heads and sulk, they tried to get after people blocking, which is what you would hope.”
They had no choice, because Johnson expects nothing less.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Categories: Tech/ACC
Johnson’s fire misunderstood
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe it’s my old-school background, filled with screamers from my high school days as a football player through my years as a sports journalist.
Anyway, give me a fiery coach or manager in most situations. Give me Paul Johnson, the consummate perfectionist, who is often yelling and frowning at his Georgia Tech players when he isn’t stomping or snarling.
To say this veteran college football coach, who is in his first season with the rapidly improving Yellow Jackets at 2-1, is an inferno on the sidelines is to say veteran college basketball coach Bobby Knight got excited at times. “Well, you know, I don’t think I’m Bobby Knight,” Johnson said softly on Tuesday at the Edge Center before his weekly news conference. With apologies to Johnson, he is Bobby Knight in so many ways, and that’s a compliment. Consider, for instance, that Knight was Woody Hayes, Billy Martin, Frank Robinson, George O’Leary and Lou Holtz.
I know, because I dealt with those rather animated coaches and managers up close and personal through the decades. Give or take a Hayes swinging at the head of an opposing player or a Knight wrapping both hands around somebody’s neck, there usually was a hidden, and in their mind, logical reason for their explosions.
The same goes for Johnson, who has spent his first games with the Jackets greeting mistakes by players with one-on-one conferences on the spot.
And loudly.
“I talk to our guys all the time that we’re going to coach you aggressively, and we’re going to coach you hard, but don’t take it personally,” said Johnson, sounding like Knight, Hayes and the rest, while also producing some of their success. Georgia Southern and Navy won a combined 73 percent of their games during Johnson’s 11 seasons as a head coach. That included an unprecedented five consecutive trips to bowl games for Navy and two consecutive Division I-AA titles for Georgia Southern.
Added Johnson, “I mean, there are some guys that if you yell at, they go in the tank. Other guys, if you yell at them, they play better. It’s whatever it takes to motivate them to do their best. If I can make them mad at me and that motivates them, that’s all right. Four hours later, we can sit and laugh about it, and then it’ll be over.”
Before such levity, there is a lot of Johnson standing centimeters from somebody’s face. The conversation isn’t pleasant. AJC cameras have captured several of those moments. There was Saturday, when Johnson (ahem) chatted with lineman Cord Howard after he jumped offside during a two-point conversion attempt.
More famously, there was that Embry Peeples thing in the season-opener against Jacksonville State. “He had missed a blocking assignment, and, actually, when I grabbed him, we had scored a touchdown,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t a big deal. He knew it wasn’t personal. It was my way of conveying to him, ‘That’s your guy.’ We even joked about it later. I told him that he’s going to have to do something to get me in the paper next week, because I got him in the paper with that one.”
Knight often joked with his players, too, and so did Hayes and the rest. They also were obsessed with trying to keep their players from becoming punch lines during games. So they refused to let them become less than they could be. Even if those coaches and managers had to scream discipline into them.
“I tell my guys, ‘If I don’t feel like you can do it, I won’t waste my time yelling at you,’ ” said Johnson, who currently has a persistent roar in games, which means he believes these Jackets can do it.
Permalink | Comments (106) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech/ACC
Ga. Tech shows winning potential in loss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blacksburg, Va. — Who cares that Georgia Tech spent its season opener manhandling Jacksonville State? Winning at Boston College was impressive, but flukes do happen, you know. So, with Virginia Tech across the way, this was the test on Saturday inside orange-and-loud Lane Stadium to see whether the triple-option era of Paul Johnson with the Yellow Jackets is more the present than the future.
It’s the present.
Definitely the present.
That said, if the Jackets can do something about silly penalties and brutal turnovers while continuing their rapid growth in Johnson’s offense, they’ll become a force in the ACC. As for now, they are just a neo-force at 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference after a needless 20-17 loss to Virginia Tech.
“Seems like our toughest enemy is ourselves,” said Tech fullback Lucas Cox, telling the truth, after the Hokies’ game-winning field goal down the stretch was spurred by the Jackets getting flagged for two personal fouls on the drive.
But enough of the bad stuff for the moment. Let’s return to the coming-out party for Johnson’s beloved offense. It was effective in mighty spurts courtesy of Josh Nesbitt’s legs and arm. We mention his arm with an asterisk, though. The few times he threw (eight, to be exact), he was mostly highly effective. His passes produced 109 yards, mostly to wide-open receivers, and the easiest 41-yard catch and run for a touchdown you’ll ever see. He also lost two fumbles and threw an interception.
Even so, this isn’t the same Nesbitt or set of Jackets who couldn’t separate an A-back from a B-back, Z-back or camelback in spring practices.
“I almost have the offense down pat now,” said Nesbitt, a soft-spoken sophomore who is threatening to speak loudly with his play. “I understand all the reads. I understand the responsibility I have. It’s the little things I have to work on. My footwork. Making the right reads. Being more of a leader in the huddle.”
Courtesy of Nesbitt’s maturation, Johnson was comfortable enough in just his third game on the job at Tech to throw the full force of his offense against an opponent for the first time. He ran the triple option a little in the Jackets’ first two games, but he ran it “80 percent of the time,” according to Nesbitt, against the Hokies.
Not only that, it was working, when Nesbitt wasn’t fumbling.
Translated: Nesbitt remains a work in progress with this offense. Even so, you kept seeing his promise with all of his crisp pitches for long gains. Plus, he executed the offense so perfectly before halftime that he ran his way to first downs on third-and-11, third-and-12 and third-and-six.
There also was the shock factor of Johnson’s offense regarding the pass. Since it was so rarely seen on the sun-splattered afternoon, the Hokies weren’t ready when it appeared. So Roddy Jones had nobody within a Virginia pine of him during his 41-yard trip to the end zone in the second quarter. The play gave the Jackets a 9-7 lead, but Virginia Tech eventually pulled ahead 17-9 in the fourth quarter.
Just like that, the Jackets needed a triple-option something. They got it when Nesbitt tight-roped his way down the sideline for an 18-yard touchdown. He followed that by tossing a pass to a lonely Cox in the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 17-17 tie to show how far and fast Johnson’s offense has come.
It will go further and faster when Nesbitt can pitch the mistakes away.
Permalink | | Categories: Tech/ACC
Falcons’ Baker has warning for UGA fans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — Take it from somebody who knows: Come next week, when Georgia’s No. 2-ranked football team plays at No. 15 Arizona State, the Bulldogs should prepare as if they’re traveling to LSU, Tennessee or some other SEC place where fans aren’t exactly shy.
Said Falcons rookie offensive tackle Sam Baker, an expert on Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe after visiting there as an opposing player, “It’s a tough place to play, because most of its fan base is students. A place like Notre Dame, it’s more of an alumni crowd, where they kind of sit back in their seats. At Arizona State, those students get very, very into the game.”
Like an SEC crowd. Before we continue, you have to excuse Baker for raising his eyebrows whenever somebody punts too deeply into the finer aspects of SEC football. He is new to the area, and he played for that other USC.
Ever hear of it?
We’re not talking about the USC in Columbia, S.C., where Georgia is Saturday. All 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds of Baker eased into a chuckle, before saying, “It doesn’t matter where I go. People say, ‘Oh, you’re big. Did you play college ball somewhere?’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah, USC,’ and they’ll go, ‘Oh, South Carolina.’ It’s just tells you that around here, no matter what we do, it’s like they don’t hear anything about USC.”
Baker meant “USC,” as in Southern Cal, where he was a three-time All-America selection on the first team, started 49 of 52 games and played on powerhouses that lost just five times in his four years as a starter. After each of those seasons, they won the Pac-10 — Arizona State’s home conference — and they finished in the top-five. They also won a national championship Baker’s freshman season, and they nearly grabbed another before losing a Rose Bowl thriller.
Nobody cares about those things around here, especially since SEC teams have taken the BCS championship game three of the past five years, including the last two (LSU and Florida).
More specifically, Georgia folks are more into English bulldogs than white horses.
“Out here, I’m outnumbered, so I really can’t say anything,” said Baker laughing, while glancing around a locker room loaded with SEC partisans. Then he thought about tonight’s monster game at Southern Cal between the No. 1-ranked Trojans and No. 5-ranked Ohio State. “I’m still outnumbered, because of all the Ohio State guys here compared to USC (four to one). We’ve got (team) meetings Saturday night, so I’ll see only a little of the game.”
Those meetings will take place in Tampa, where Baker will attempt to continue his impressive start as an NFL left tackle on Sunday against the Buccaneers. Given his athleticism and accolades through the years, you’d think he was born and raised in SEC country instead of Orange County.
Then again, to hear Baker tell it, that other USC and your elite SEC teams are synonymous.
“They’re pretty similar, especially when it comes to speed, because they both recruit the same kind of athlete,” said Baker, who once saw as much up in person. He traveled with the USC big boys as a scout-team member in 2003 when they clobbered Auburn 23-0. He also knows about SEC football in another sense. Among those seeking his services after high school was Florida, Georgia’s Great Satan.
“Is it really?” Baker said.
He’s still learning.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL, UGA/SEC
Likable Smith treats players, others well
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who knows whether Mike Smith will succeed or fail as Falcons head coach since he is in his first season as an NFL head coach, period?
This is what we do know:
You pull for him.
You hope for the best.
You wonder why other football coaches can’t be as affable as this guy with the quickest smile in the league.
And, now, after Smith’s first game ever as an NFL head coach, he is 1-0. Granted, the Falcons’ opponent on Sunday at the Georgia Dome was a toothless bunch of Detroit Lions, but you still have to applaud the Vince Lombardi lookalike.
Or, if you prefer, Smith is a younger clone of Steve “wild and crazy” Martin, especially since the 49-year-old Smith said somebody once chased him down an airport concourse thinking he was the 63-year-old comedian.
Smith is a welcomed sight around Flowery Branch since the Dan Reeves era ended with Reeves’ firing in 2003. He was respected and likeable as a veteran coach who owned a down-home style, straight from his native Americus.
That was opposed to his successor, Jim Mora who owned a highly suspicious style, straight from paranoia.
Speaking of paranoia, Bobby Petrino was the king of it before bolting the Falcons last year with three games left to play. He replaced the fired Mora before the 2007 season, and to hear Falcons players tell it, Petrino treated them as kindergarteners in shoulder pads.
If Smith is paranoid, he hides it well. He also treats his players and everybody else like grown ups.
What a concept.
Just hope it continues.
Permalink | Comments (28) | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Moreno leaps into legendary status
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens — Just like that, Knowshon Moreno is a Georgia legend for the ages. It doesn’t matter if he fails to do anything else dandy with a spin or a leap the rest of his career for the Bulldogs. There was Saturday at Sanford Stadium against Central Michigan, and that was enough.
With Moreno’s feet spread wider apart in midair than your average human wearing football cleats, he soared over a 5-foot-10 safety to complete a long sprint before returning to earth.
You had to be there, because it was more amazing than that. Not since Hershel Walker prompted somebody to scream into a microphone “He’s running over people!” nearly three decades ago in Knoxville has the Bulldog Nation seen anything as breathtaking from a tailback.
Ever see that Herschel play? “No, I haven’t,” said the soft-spoken Moreno on Tuesday about that moment when Walker clobbered Tennessee’s Bill Bates on the way to the end zone. Yes, Moreno wasn’t born until seven years after that famous Georgia play. Yes, he grew up far from SEC country in New Jersey. Still, Walker-Bates is everywhere around here.
You can catch it on the big video screen before each home game as part of Georgia all-time highlights. In the Butts-Mehre Building, home to the football locker room for practices, you can push a button on one of the kiosks in the Bulldogs’ Sports Hall of Fame to cheer Walker flatten Bates as many times as you like.
Moreno is oblivious to it all, which isn’t a bad thing, by the way. He is a redshirt sophomore along the way to becoming a first-round pick in the NFL draft, but he rarely sees replays of himself. He spends more time playing his Xbox than watching television. “He’s very humble, and for somebody who is on the cover of magazines and things of that nature, he doesn’t talk much about football,” said Georgia cornerback Asher Allen.
Added wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, “He’s just a normal guy. Whether it’s about life or what you’re doing for dinner, he’s a genuine person who isn’t going to brag or boast.”
He could join a slew of others in becoming a Knowshonmaniac, because it’s like this in Bulldog history: You had Trippi, Sinkwich, Tarkenton and the rest before Herschel, and then you had Bailey, Pollack and those other Bulldog runners of lore afterward. Now you have Moreno preparing for just his ninth game as a starter on Saturday against South Carolina, and he already is within another splendid play or three of ranking with the elite of the Georgia elite.
That’s assuming Moreno isn’t already there. If you combine his hurdle with his dramatic twists and turns as a freshman — highlighted by his 188 yards rushing for three touchdowns against the hated Gators — Moreno is at least a neo-Herschel when it comes to producing wows.
“He has the stuff that makes legends, I guess, or of a guy who can be remembered for a long time, because his productivity, no doubt, is unquestioned,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt. “It’s just his flair, his style, his energy. He’s very much like [David] Pollack in the way he approaches the game. Those two guys love to play and love to practice. When he gets in game, Knowshon is ready to go. Something just clicks.
“If he stays healthy, and if he sticks around a while …”
Richt didn’t finish. Moreno likely is gone from Georgia to the pros after this season, but his legacy will remain.
His hurdle sealed that.
Permalink | Comments (52) | Categories: UGA/SEC
Can Bulldogs see clear to finish line?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens — It’s one thing for Knowshon Moreno to do what he did on Saturday at Sanford Stadium, and that was sprint by, through and over (literally, by the way) those on Central Michigan’s overwhelmed defense. It’s another if Georgia’s 21st century Herschel does much of the same the rest of the way.
And Moreno will. Courtesy of his charismatic ways at running back, he is a given for the Bulldogs. The same goes for Matthew Stafford and his increasingly potent play at quarterback.
Other Georgia players will have their impressive moments. Wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi will continue his coming-out party as a dandy wide receiver. All of those swift, big or both folks on the Bulldogs’ defense will hear their names early someday on the first day of an NFL draft.
But here’s the big question: Can those players become efficient as a team from this point through the end of the regular season in November, through that SEC championship game in December, and even through the BCS finale in Miami?
We ask because now comes the real season for Georgia. Ever hear of some guy named Steve Spurrier? His Gamecocks are next for the Bulldogs, but South Carolina reeked earlier this week during an upset loss to Vanderbilt. Even so, Spurrier teams have a tendency to perk up whenever they hear barking drawing near.
So, it’s like this: No matter what the average Bulldog tells you, Georgia’s No. 2-ranked players spent their latest outing with part of their mind on Central Michigan and the other part on their upcoming trip to Columbia.
“Hopefully, I think our team is mature enough not to do that,” said Asher Allen, Georgia’s stellar cornerback and efficient punt returner. “You can’t win three games before you win two. You gotta make sure you close out this team. Obviously that’s something we strive to do as a team, and that is just to have people worry about this game. If you don’t, then here comes Central Michigan beating you.”
Uh, doubtful. There wasn’t much need for Georgia to fret over a Mid-American Conference powerhouse that has a well-deserved reputation as a powder puff against BCS foes. Just last year, the Chippewas lost by 45 points to Arkansas and 56 points to Clemson. This time, Georgia followed its 45-21 crushing of Georgia Southern to start the season with a 56-17 bashing of Central Michigan, and the appreciative crowd saw a splendid warm-up act for the Bulldogs with the nasty part of their schedule ahead.
After South Carolina, Georgia plays at Arizona State. Then Alabama and Tennessee come to town. To save time, let’s just say it doesn’t get prettier for the Bulldogs after that. As a result, it was imperative for them to use the Central Michigan game to perfect the things they’ll have to do to keep their national championship dreams alive the rest of the scary way.
Things such as big plays, and the Bulldogs had plenty against the Chippewas. You had Demarcus Dobbs forgetting that he is just a couple of cheeseburgers away from 300 pounds to huff and puff his way 78 yards for a touchdown after an interception. You had Moreno’s 52-yard run to the end zone, and you later had his breath-taking leap over Central Michigan’s 5-10 Vince Agnew for an extra five yards to what became a 29-yard run. You also had Massaquoi’s catch and run of 54 yards for a score.
Now you have South Carolina, Arizona State, Alabama and the rest trying to stop all of that barking.
Permalink | | Categories: UGA/SEC
Falcons linebackers nice fit with Lofton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the past is indicative of the future for Curtis Lofton, the Falcons will be just fine at middle linebacker. They’re already just fine on the strong and weak sides at linebacker. In other words, they are close to ranking as just fine at linebacker, period, and you know what?
The Falcons could be even better than that at the position.
It’s all about Lofton, a rookie from Oklahoma, with perennial Pro Bowl player Keith Brooking on one side and steadily rising Michael Boley on the other.
So what’s the early report? “Curtis is coming along pretty good,” Boley said of the second-round draft pick who zoomed by former Georgia standout Tony Taylor in training camp to reach the top of the depth chart. “He has picked up the defense quite well, and we’re looking for him to be one of the leaders on defense.”
Usually, the middle linebacker is the leader on defense, but that won’t happen for the Falcons for two reasons: Brooking and Boley. They’re leaders by example on the field, if nothing else.
While Brooking led the Falcons in tackles for a seventh consecutive year in 2007, Boley exploded toward stardom during his fourth NFL season by becoming omnipresent in games.
Said Boley, “It’s a matter now of trying to keep it simple and trying to get better. Just continue to work hard and to do the fundamental things.”
Boley was speaking of himself, but that also applies to Lofton, an impressive middle linebacker throughout his life. After high school in Kingfisher, Okla., he was named the nation’s eighth-best middle linebacker by ESPN.com. He didn’t start until his senior year for the always-loaded Sooners, but it didn’t matter. He ended with more tackles in a season (126) than any Oklahoma player in nearly 30 years.
Not only that, Lofton was a first-team All-America selection. He also was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Will Lofton become NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year? The Falcons would settle for Lofton as Falcons’ Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Shockley will be an NFL success
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — Let’s say D.J. Shockley does the plausible as the No. 3 quarterback for the Falcons and zips by Chris Redman to become the No. 2 guy.
Let’s say first-year offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey continues as the NFL’s Inspector Gadget and devises a package for the mobile Shockley to complement the statuesque Matt Ryan.
Let’s say this Shockley resembles that other Shockley who was a folk hero at Georgia after winning the SEC championship game and setting a slew of school records during his only year as a starter.
Let’s say Ryan does what most NFL rookie quarterbacks do, and that is, sputter more often than not, especially with an iffy (OK, brutal) offensive line.
Now let’s say folks do what they always do, and that is, scream for the backup quarterback. Actually, in this case, let’s say folks bark themselves red and black for the backup quarterback.
You don’t stick with the $72 million man as your starter. You switch to the guy who can help you fill all of those empty seats you’ll have this season.
“I’m going to tell you right now, man,” said Don Shockley, the proud father who coached his all-state son at North Clayton High School. “Bottom line is that, if D.J. ever gets a chance to take over this thing, he’ll set the town on fire.”
This sounds familiar. The older Shockley told me the same thing when his son spent four seasons behind former Georgia starter David Greene. The younger Shockley eventually ignored the pressure of replacing somebody who evolved into the winningest quarterback in Division I history to become one of the nation’s most prolific quarterbacks in 2005.
So the older Shockley was correct then, and the same goes for now. All the younger Shockley needs is a chance. He got part of it last week when the Falcons cut the underwhelming Joey Harrington and kept the people’s choice.
“When I’m out walking around, people always are coming up to me to say that they’re pulling for me, and that they’ve been watching me a while, and to just keep up the hard work,” said D.J. Shockley, who joined Redman on Wednesday for extra work after practice. “Another thing people say is, ‘I’m waiting for you to play,’ and ‘I’m waiting for you to get your opportunity.’ Mainly they’ll say, ‘When you get your chance, just be ready.’ “
Shockley is ready. What about the Falcons? “We just want to see how far he develops, especially since he has missed as much as he has with that injury,” said Mularkey, referring to Shockley’s damaged knee that kept him out of last season. He ran the Falcons’ scout team before that as an NFL rookie. Now Shockley has Mularkey as his immediate boss, and during his previous career stops, Mularkey used gadget plays to turn versatile quarterbacks Kordell Stewart and Antwaan Randle El into significant players.
Is Shockley next? “We haven’t really gotten into that, because we’re still trying to evaluate him as a quarterback instead of as a specialty-type, slash-type player,” Mularkey said. “To move him around and to take advantage of his skills, I mean, that’s something that maybe is in the future.”
This isn’t a maybe: Shockley will do well for somebody in the NFL. It could be for the Falcons, and sooner than you think.
Permalink | Comments (213) | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Don’t bark about rankings, just win Dawgie
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Georgia sort of blew out a Division I-AA team (Georgia Southern) in the first weekend of college football, USC really blew out a Division I team (Virginia). So, yeah, the Trojans deserved to leap over the Bulldogs in the Associated Press and coaches polls. So, yeah, USC is the best team in the country right now.
End of controversy.
That said, it doesn’t matter if the Bulldogs are ranked No. 1, No. 2 or whatever by the polls involved with the Bowl Championship Series. If they keep winning, they’ll have nothing to worry about.
That’s a big if, of course.
(Note: There are a lot of “ifs” coming in this blog, because Georgia can’t capture the national championship without a lot of “ifs.”).
You know the deal by now, with those monster away games at South Carolina, Arizona State, LSU and Auburn. The Bulldogs also have those back-to-back home games against SEC tough guys Alabama and Tennessee. Plus, they have that little game in Jacksonville.
If the Bulldogs go undefeated during the regular season with that schedule, and then if they whip an LSU or an Auburn or an Alabama in the SEC championship game, and then if they conquer a Southern Cal or an Oklahoma in the BCS championship game, they’ll be No. 1.
If the Bulldogs lose once during the regular season with that schedule, they still might make the SEC championship game, and with a victory that night, they still might make the BCS championship game with a chance to win it all.
Two losses or more during the regular season? Forget it.
So, if you’re a Georgia fan, it’s just win, Dawgie.
Permalink | Comments (37) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA/SEC
Falcons miss playmaker at receiver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This wide receiver thing could have been so much easier for the Falcons. I mean, guess who’s coming to town Sunday with his speed, size and sizzle?
Yep, that guy.
Ever hear of Calvin Johnson?
We’re talking about somebody who was an all-everything player at Georgia Tech via Sandy Creek High School. We’re talking about somebody who has the reputation of ranking as the perfect son.
We’re also talking about somebody who the Falcons foolishly didn’t trade up and grab in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. They had a slew of nice picks and a huge incentive (nothing close to a Calvin Johnson) to do so. Instead, Lions general manager Matt Millen sat in his war room waiting for a call from somebody from Flowery Branch, but it never happened.
This isn’t to say the Lions are displeased with their young Randy Moss — you know, without the Randy Moss personality or baggage. While the famously humble Johnson will sprint even faster toward stardom after spending last year producing flashy plays despite a creaky back, the Falcons are left with a bunch of maybes at receiver.
Maybe Roddy White will continue to improve after a productive 2007 season following two years of mediocrity. Maybe Michael Jenkins can leave four years of obscurity by evolving into a blocker instead of a receiver. Maybe Brian Finneran can contribute after missing two years with two major knee surgeries. Maybe young receivers Laurent Robinson and Harry Douglas will mature in a hurry. Maybe Ben Hartsock and Martrez Milner can become Alge Crumpler at tight end.
Maybe the Falcons are fooling themselves, but probably not, suggested Terry Robiskie, in his first year as the team’s wide receivers coach. “I like the quality and depth of this unit,” Robiskie said during training camp, and Robiskie has been an NFL coach for nearly three decades.
With apologies to Robiskie, the Falcons’ “quality and depth” would be better with You Know Who.
Permalink | Comments (29) | Categories: Falcons/NFL
‘It’s not Bobby Cox’s fault’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s not Bobby Cox. “No, this isn’t his fault,” said Chuck Tanner, referring to the Braves’ free fall in the National League East standings. That said, Tanner, who should know such things, suggested that this really is the reincarnation of his 1988 Braves, which isn’t good, by the way.
Those other Braves lost 106 times. The current ones are wretched, but they already have more victories than the 54 for those other Braves.
Whatever that means.
That means little if you listen to Tanner, the accomplished manager of yore, speaking over the phone from his home in New Castle, Pa. As a major league scout nowadays for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he remains close to the game. That’s why he noted a similarity between his Braves of 20 years ago and the current ones imploding in their division.
“Heck, there are games I see where they’re using four or five relievers, just like we did,” said Tanner, sounding younger than his 79 years. “In three weeks, their arms are hanging, and then your bullpen’s gone. It doesn’t matter that the right fielder [Jeff Francoeur] isn’t hitting, or you can look at the shortstop, the second baseman, the first baseman or the catcher.
“Those people can help, but when you have pitching, you have everything. We didn’t have it, and for the Braves, it’s not [manager] Bobby Cox’s fault. It’s not the pitching coach’s fault. They just don’t have Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz anymore.”
No, the Braves don’t. Instead, they have the pitching likes of Elmer Dessens, Julian Tavarez and Vladimir Nunez. That’s why the Braves began Monday’s game in Florida against the Marlins ranked 10th in the N.L. in ERA and falling. Before the All-Star break, the Braves fluctuated between first and second in the league in ERA, and not coincidentally, they were deep in the division race. That was before they lost the pitching likes of Tim Hudson, Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, Smoltz and Glavine for the season.
At least these Braves had all of those pitchers to lose.
“We had [everyday players] Ozzie Virgil, Gerald Perry, Ron Gant, Ken Oberkfell, Dale Murphy, Dion James, Ken Griffey Sr., some good players,” Tanner said. “But then we had Glavine just getting started, and that’s when I pitched him a lot, knowing he’d be good someday. He was 7-17. Rick Mahler was 9-16, and Pete Smith was 7-15. Zane Smith, 5-10. We had Bruce Sutter, but his arm was done. We were bringing Smoltzie along, but he was 2-7.
“We couldn’t catch the ball sometimes, but they couldn’t pitch it, either. They’d throw a fastball when it should have been a change-up or something.”
Sounds like the current Braves, with fielding issues everywhere and severe problems when it comes to swinging in the clutch. Much of this also sounds like the current Pirates, which is why Tanner, who managed Pittsburgh to a “We are Family” world championship in 1979, recently told his bosses with the Pirates, “This is not going to work until we get pitching. Go out in free agency and get a productive guy that’s been successful. I’m talking about someone who can win 12, 15 games.
“Then you bring a young guy in behind him. I know the Braves have that kid they got from the Tigers [Jair Jurrjens], and he’s a good one. But if you want a young guy like that to be your leader, well, in the long haul, it’s hard.”
The same goes for the short haul.
Permalink | Comments (72) | Categories: Braves/MLB
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
