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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Golden opportunity for Jackets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
If those associated with the Georgia Tech football program wish folks to take them seriously again, they must win Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Period.
End of story.
Actually, if the Yellow Jackets do slay Virginia Tech, they could add several more chapters to their book entitled “How to leave mediocrity for the first time during the Chan Gailey regime.” Later, they could survive a trip to Death Valley. Then they could whip their daring choice for a homecoming guest (Miami). Then they could evolve into the kings of Tobacco Road after visiting Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Then they could end all of that barking Between the Hedges. Then they could reach the ACC championship game before securing a berth in a BCS game.
It’s possible. Well, much of it is, because the Jackets have an offense with Calvin Johnson, their all-everything wide receiver, and they have a defense ranked among the nation’s elite in virtually everything. There also is something else about the Jackets, according to linebacker KaMichael Hall, their second-leading tackler. “We’ve always had talent, but I just think this is the most together Georgia Tech team that I’ve played for,” Hall said. “It’s just the way that we get along, and the way that we work well together, and the way that we put all three phases of the game together.”
The Jackets showed as much during their season opener at Bobby Dodd Stadium against Notre Dame. In fact, they were better than Notre Dame. They lost after Tech coaches punted away common sense by refusing after the first half to keep unleashing Johnson against a clearly overmatched secondary.
That said, the Jackets did what they had to do against inferior Samford and Troy. They crushed them. They also did what they occasionally haven’t done when facing the meek of the ACC by smashing Virginia last Thursday during a nationally televised home game. Tech coaches even threw early, often and late to Johnson against the Cavaliers. It made you wonder if they finally discovered what the rest of us already knew, and that is you keep going to Johnson no matter what. He’s among the nice collection of players with the ability to take the Jackets away from their blah existence toward whatever bliss they’ll reach with a victory against historically potent but slightly vulnerable Virginia Tech.
Although the Jackets were a second half filled with Johnson (you know, their Notre Dame fiasco) shy of becoming pretty great at 4-0, they still are pretty good at 3-1. They just slid into the Top 25 at No. 24. If nothing else, they are on course to do as well as Gailey’s other Tech teams that concluded each of the past four seasons with seven victories. It’s just that another such finish for the Jackets is unacceptable.
Unless mediocrity is acceptable for these Jackets. Which it isn’t, according to Hall, who has joined teammates and coaches in stressing the need to seek and reach The Next Level. “That’s our ultimate goal — to be able to get over the hump and to be able to win nine, 10, 11 games,” said Hall, whose Jackets were sprinting that way last season after a 4-0 start produced a No. 15 national ranking. Their next game was in Blacksburg, where they managed seven points to the Hokies’ 51. Worse, Hall admitted before this season that more than a few Tech players actually quit during the game.
So, with Blacksburg back on the horizon for the Jackets, and with No. 11 Virginia Tech missing a couple of starters after struggling last week against pitiful Cincinnati, these Jackets have a chance to show the guts that those other Jackets lacked. “We just came out last year, and one thing after another happened, and it kind of escalated after that,” Hall said. “You think about that, and it’s motivational, but at the same time you don’t want to think too much about it. If you think too much about something like that you won’t focus on the goal that is at hand.”
For the Jackets, that goal involves going to the Virginia foothills and doing nothing less than the last two words of their Ramblin’ Wreck song: Fight, win.
Permalink | Comments (81) | Categories: Tech / ACC, Terence Moore
Falcons a work in progress
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
There are two ways you can look at the Falcons’ slaughter inside of the Superdome on Monday. You could say nobody was going to beat the obviously inspired Saints that night. After all, they eventually dedicated the game to the people of New Orleans for enduring Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Or you could say: According to many, this was a Super Bowl atmosphere, and championship teams execute despite the heightened emotion and hype associated with such a big game. In other words, the Saints played like world champions (offense, defense and special teams) while the Falcons played like world chumps (offensive, defense and special teams).
That would mean the Saints are a championship team and the Falcons still have a long ways to go.
Hmmmm.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Categories: Quick Hit
