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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > November > 05
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lofty goals good for Jackets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No question, Chan Gailey is more of an NFL coach. For verification, there were his six years at Georgia Tech through the 2007 season that often ended with yawns and bowl games you never heard of.
Here’s something else: There were those goals for Gailey’s Yellow Jackets.
They did have goals, didn’t they?
Guess they didn’t.
“It was pretty much, you know, just go out there and win as many games as you can, which was the mind-set of the program,” said Tech defensive tackle Darryl Richard, describing the type of coach who sounds as if he prefers to work with a bunch of grown men who are into self-motivation. Sort of like what you find in the pro game.
As for the college game, rosters are filled with youngsters who need to be lead and want to be inspired. They need goals. Sort of like what the Jackets have under their first-year coach Paul Johnson, who nevertheless did the wise thing by giving the assignment to somebody else — his seniors.
So, early in summer camp, about a half dozen of those Tech seniors gathered in a room to discuss what would entail a wonderful season. “I didn’t really suggest anything. In fact, I just listened, because we all kind of think alike,” said defensive end Michael Johnson of a meeting that lasted maybe eight minutes.
Soon afterward, the seniors presented their goals to Johnson, who nodded. Then, the next day, the rest of the Jackets heard the report. They nodded, and the goals were posted in all of the meetings rooms and around the locker room.
Those goals? In order, beat Georgia, capture the ACC championship, go undefeated at Bobby Dodd Stadium, impress when it comes the turnover margin, dominate foes in rushing offense and in rushing defense.
The results? Pretty good. The Jackets did lose at home against Virginia, but they’ve yet to meet Georgia, and they still are within reach of the ACC championship game at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Coastal Division. They also lead the ACC in rushing. They are just fifth in turnover margin, but there was Cooper Taylor’s forced fumble in the clutch against Florida State last Saturday that led to a game-saving recovery by Rashaad Reid.
Plus, the Jackets are fifth in run defense, but they have the formidable likes of Richard and Johnson anchoring one of the game’s best defensive lines.
“It makes it much easier when you’re actually working toward something that you can see, where you can actually focus your efforts,” Richard said. “There really wasn’t too much confusion from the start of what we’re trying to accomplish here this season. I think that’s what you’re seeing.”
Those watching as intently as anybody are Tech’s underclassmen. Take redshirt freshman Roddy Jones, for instance. He spent his redshirt season as a running back watching the goal-less Jackets reach mediocrity again with a 7-6 record. They also dropped a sixth consecutive game to Georgia along the way to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise.
Not coincidentally, Gailey was fired by the end of the season.
“Having been here last year, you really can see the difference in the attitudes of the players under Coach Johnson compared to Coach Gailey, especially when you look at the seniors,” Jones said. “It wasn’t difficult to play [with no goals under Gailey], because obviously everybody wants to win, and everybody wants to play for the ACC championship. But when you really write down goals and put stuff on paper, it makes you want to work that much harder to achieve them.”
Yeah, and the Jackets have a No. 20 BCS ranking to prove it.
Permalink | | Categories: Tech/ACC
Two strikes for DeAngelo Hall
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nobody saw this coming. Then again, we are talking about DeAngelo Hall and Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, both operating from the ozone these days.
To use a sports metaphor, Hall received the second major strike of his NFL career when he was released by the pitiful Raiders. You probably know what happens when you get a third strike.
You’re out.
That’s where Hall is headed in his professional career - out of a job forever - if he doesn’t learn that you can’t keep flapping your tongue as supposedly a shutdown cornerback if you can’t keep from getting torched more often than not.
This is sad, really, because Hall has talent, and he isn’t a bad guy. Not only that, he is a tremendous student of the game, and he works hard.
He just doesn’t get it.
For whatever reason, Hall never understood during his first four years in the league with the Falcons that you have to stay under control during games and keep your mouth shut, at least until you do something. The Falcons finally had enough, and they got rid of him for strike one.
Then Hall got a fresh start when he was dealt by the Falcons to the Raiders before this season. It didn’t matter. He continued his meltdowns on and off the field. There was last Sunday against the Falcons in Oakland, where he played unevenly but nevertheless jawed at his former teammates in the stadium tunnel at halftime.
So, despite the Raiders paying Hall $8 million for the whole season, Davis finally had enough, and he waived Hall after just eight games.
Strike two.
Now Hall can do nothing less than foul off his next couple of pitches in the NFL, just to stay alive.
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL
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