AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 07 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA bit of history for ya
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ll be back with a few observations from practice later today. In the meantime, here’s Paul Johnson on the “invention” of his offense, as told at the ACC preseason meetings a few weeks ago (and re-told at Tech’s media day Saturday):
“I coached defense at Georgia Southern in ‘83 and ‘84 for coach [Erk] Russell. The offensive coordinator was a guy named Ben Griffith, and they had gone to some run-and-shoot stuff, ala June Jones. We had been an I-formation team. They ran a little bit of option with the run-and-shoot.
“At the end of the ‘84 season, the offensive coordinator left and coach Russell asked me to move over and be offensive coordinator, but he said he wanted to run the I-formation, which is what they had done at Georgia [when Russell was defensive coordinator there].
“We weren’t very successful. We didn’t have a tight end or a fullback, an I fullback, and I told him I want to get back in a double-slot. He said, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’ I said, ‘We’re going to get in it to run, our quarterback is Tracy Ham and we’ve got to utilize the guy.’
“He said, ‘Let me think about it,’ and came back down in 15 minutes and said, ‘Do what you got to do,’ and that’s what we did. We got in it, and through the years we evolved. If somebody gave us something that we thought was a problem, we just evolved.
“It was a run-and-shoot originally, play-action passing, a lot of option components. [The run-pass ratio] was a little out of whack at Georgia Southern because we averaged close to 40 or 50 points per game, and we’d get ahead at halftime and you don’t throw on people if you’re up 40-6. Up until June went back to Hawaii, our quarterbacks held a bunch of the passing records [from when Johnson was offensive coordinator there after leaving GSU and before returning to GSU].”
GSU won Division I-AA national titles in ‘85 and ‘86.
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Comments
By stinGTime
August 7, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Does it matter where the design originated or what it is named? Johnson will win often by utilizing what is available.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
August 7, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
erk russell would have never been successful if not for PAUL JOHNSON. He would have been just an average mediocre coach like he was with dooley.
By jabster
August 7, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this
Sounds like the anti-Chan Gailey. Chan would keep trying the same dang thing over and over hoping it would eventually work.
By Ramble on down to heck
August 7, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this
Hate the Dawgs all you want, but Erk Russell was a great man. Just ask Paul Johnson, you jackleg boob.
By Michael
August 7, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
It’s good to hear the history of the Ham bone came about which went on to be called the flex-bone, orbit O or PJ’s O. It seems what the offense has evolved into more option & less run-&-shoot (passing). I think PJ can be successful at GT if he goes back to a more balance attack. Something that seems funny to me is this O started of as an adaptation to fit there talent but now here we are 20 something years later & he’s trying to fit players into his system that aren’t suited for it. Seems sort of backwards to me but a lot of coaches tend to get into the mindset of what there system is & stick with it no matter what. Was it the “system” that led them to success or developing\changing the system to fit there talent at the time? If I were PJ I’d install my O but have packages to fit the talent I inherited. In an “I” with Cox, Dwyer & 3 wr’s you could still run it with his option principals. He keeps saying his O is a lot like what WV & FL run but only from under center if that’s the case to me it wouldn’t be hard to install a shotgun package. That would fit Nesbitt’s good & help him transition into the O. Then I’d use these in games to give the D different looks but moreover to best utilize my personnel. UGA seems to do this they have a variety of packages then go towards what usually fits the QB & overall talent the best. Right now there more of an “I” team & multiple formations O that huddles but they were a fast-break team using mainly a spread & I. After Stafford moves on I think you’ll see the fast-break spread (more of a Mizzou type with a bigger back & TE) come back with Gray then eventually Murray at QB. However if Zach wins the QB job it might be more of what you see now. To me that’s coaching! Having a “system” but with it being flexible enough to be modified to fit your current players!
By Matt Winkeljohn
August 7, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this
Stingtime,
You’re right. Why bother with stories like Johnson’s.
By John in Marietta
August 7, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this
I like to hear stories like that.
Regarding Erk Russell, I went to GT, but how can anyone downplay what he did? In fact, it seems to me an important part of being a good head coach is to listen to what his assistants have to say.
By GSUHatchAttack
August 7, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
First, to Stingtime, yes it matters where it originated because “we study the past too learn from our mistakes.”
To RAMBLE ON!!, you, my friend, are a complete moron. 150% without a doubt, a complete moron. Paul Johnson wouldnt be what HE is today if it werent for ER, and HE will be the FIRST one to tell you that. Even the best students are never better than their teacher, e.g., PJ and ER.
To Michael, I as well am a Michael, anyway… You bring up a good question I’m sure lots have thought about, and I consider myself more knowledgable than most about PJ’s offense as I watched it in person win a national title. I am a statesboro native, so Ive seen multitudes of his games.
Paul Johnson’s offense is what works. You cant argue that it is a flop, because it hasnt yet. HOWEVER, What makes his offense special is that, unlike Gailey, if something is chinked in his system, HE WILL FIX IT IMMEDIATELY. No more pounding the ball up the middle on first down… His offense is extremely capable of evolving EVEN DURING A GAME. Think gailey evolved ANYTHING during a game? Yeah, I didnt either…
John, couldnt agree with you more…
and Matt, thanks for enlightening those who were wondering… good way to squash BS rumors before they get started.
By exNFLplayer
August 7, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
Thank you John in Marietta. When Erk Russell got to GSU they didn’t even have a football. The results he got there is a testament to his ability. The guy was an unparraled motivator, once throwing a bag of snakes on the floor in a team meeting to get a point across. Erk Russell was the opitomy of toughness. They come no better than Erk Russell.
By redfive
August 7, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this
Paul Johnson will be the man in charge when UGA whips tech for #8 in a row.
By 4-ever Tech Fan
August 7, 2008 1:28 PM | Link to this
Negative Erk Russell comments are WAY off base. ER was a great football man, and great human being. Just like exNFLplayer said…..ER is the foundation of Ga Southern football.
Now to PJ & other points of interest … GA Southern won NCs in ‘85 & ‘86 with PJ as the OC. They also won NCs in ‘99 & ‘00 with PJ as Head Coach, and lost in the NC game in ‘98 with PJ as HC. In ‘96 PJ was OC at Navy when the Midshipmen posted a 9-3 record, their first winning season since the early ’80s.
PJ’s insight: “where can this/that player best help the team.” WOW what a concept that the former HC just couldn’t seem to grasp. Love the articles about the former QBs fitting in nicely at DB.
I just hope, being a lifelong Tech fan, that PJ doesn’t leave after 5-6 seasons, because I truly believe there will be plenty of offers.
By CarolinaJacket
August 7, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this
Anybody who will bash his bald head against his players’ helmets has to be awfully tough and a great motivator.
By borojacket
August 7, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
Erk Russell was a great man and coach, he was never mediocre! PJ is a great coach! bc of erk and pj we have 6 flags over statesboro! i have been a pj fan all my life, he will win at TECH! I watched him win at GSU and at Navy. Its gonna been fun to watch the critics shake their heads after PJ gets a few big wins at Tech!! GO Jackets!!
By ContactBuzz
August 7, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
4-ever Tech Fan, What a short memory. Gailey certainly had his faults but placing guys in the best position to help them succeed was not one of them. Hollings, Wilkerson, Reis, Landry, and Wrotto just to name a few, changed positions under Gailey’s watch and all made it to the NFL in the position he changed them to.
By booyah
August 7, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
Great article. ER apparently was a great coach. What did Dooley do after ER left for the Boro? Kind of like O’Leary after the Fridge or Bowden after Richt.
On PJ. He will win in due time. Maybe not this year, but he will. As for the offense working or where it originated from, seems to me Nebraska ran a very similar offense in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that won a couple NC’s. You can’t tell me those Tommy Frazier teams couldn’t play with anyone today. The Old Ball Coach found that out real quick. I see Tech turning into a similar team and a perennial powerhouse in the very near future.
By mike
August 7, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
When is PJ going to have the nads to play Ga Southern, like UGA has done so many times.
By Sting'em!
August 7, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
Enough BS, let’s play football!!!
Sting’em!!!!!!!!
P.S. Who’s Paul Johnson and what’s an Erk?
By BIG Bee
August 7, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
Hey Matt, a b-back is a guy that runs over a line backer 10 yards down field and gets us and says”I’ll be back”.
By BL
August 7, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
Ga Southern also won National titles in ‘99 and ‘00 under PJ.
By GA Hokie
August 7, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
Erk was, and quite possibly still is, the greatest coach to coach college football in the state of Georgia.
Mad ups to my bulldawg friends whom we meet up with once every 4 years— we’ll win one eventualy =P
By Matt Winkeljohn
August 7, 2008 3:15 PM | Link to this
BL,
I know that. The point of mentioning the titles in ‘85 and ‘86 because they were the first two seasons of the “new” offense.
By Ramblin'Wreck
August 7, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this
Erk is a legend! There are always idiots that have to stir the pot.
CPJ will win. It’s not a question of if, but when. Dwyer looks like a bigger, faster Adrian Peterson (the Ga Southern AP, not the Oklahoma AP). I remember seeing AP run for over 150 yards against UGA several years ago.
I’m glad CPJ is here as we bring back the pride to the Golden Flats.
By Georgia Alumnus
August 7, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
I ran into Coach Erk several times during the course of my life.
I was in line at the grocery store my junior year and he was in front of me in line, picking up some things on the way home from practice. He turned around and we talked, but I kept looking up at the wide open split running down his forehead from where his hairline should have been to between his eyebrows. It was mid August but he had been doing headbutts with his players that day, as usual without a helment.
I ran into him outside of Stegman one day back when the football offices were housed there. All I said was “hey coach, lets win a NC.” He stopped and said there was no reason why we could not do that at Georgia.” We talked SEC football for about 5 minutes and he seemed to really enjoy talking SEC football. We won that NC a few years later.
I ran into him at a McDonalds off of I85 between atlanta and newnan one afternoon years later. I said “hi coach” and he turned around and his face lit up. I am sure he didn’t know me or remember me, but he treated me like I was the most important guy in the world for the five minutes we talked.
Erk was a winner as a man as well as a coach in my book.
By surfrider
August 7, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this
Relax Tech fans. Have we noticed how much they are practicing throwing the ball? They would’nt be practicing that much if they did’nt think they would use it or need it if needed. We say threw the ball 25 times but only completed say 12 last year and say it was for 125 yards. This year we throw the ball 20 times but complete 12 and get say 200 yards plus points. We then say run the option with all it’s variations and get our 250 to 300 yards on the ground and points. That is close to say 400 to 500 yards per game plus we score over 25 points. Our defense is almost as good or better and we keep opposing teams to under 20 points. We win a lot of games if we execute and don’t turn ball over too much.
By AFnPC
August 7, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
GSU also won I-AA National Championships under CPJ in ‘99 and ‘00, and lost in the championship game in ‘98. GO EAGLES! His offense has worked wherever he has been. It worked with a bunch of craniacs at Navy and will work at Ga Tech too, just wait! I love all you dawg fans that think this offense won’t work, that offense won’t work, but every year some offense works against your criminal defense. I can’t wait to see who wins the Parole Bowl between you fools and Bama.
By AGTfan
August 7, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
It’s good to see so many Tech fans sticking up for Erk. He was as many said a fine man and an excellent coach. We Tech Fans don’t need to make stupid inappropriate comments. That should be reserved for the moron UGA fans that like to troll here.
Please note that I don’t consider all UGA fans to be morons. Just the trolls.
By Brewer for GT President
August 7, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
Erk was a hell of a coach and a great man. He was a four-sport letterman at Auburn before he coached at UGA and GSU and few can argue with the results of his coaching. I had the honor of bumping into him a few times in Statesboro after he retired. Great guy… Was he a Georgia Tech fan? Since he was the guy that came up with GATA from the letters of Georgia Tech Athletic Association, I’d say no. He probably despised GT. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great coach and a great man. And there are plenty of other fine people who are or have been associated with UGA. Unfortunately, they also have some serious jerks who ‘claim’ UGA, most of which have no actual affiliation with the school.
By The Truth
August 7, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
This Offense is not that novel and was invented by Air Force, and tweeked by Johnson. Both Air Force and Navy have run this offense for years.
By GT Fan
August 7, 2008 4:59 PM | Link to this
Mike, The first call PJ made after he was hired was to GSU to see if they would replace Army on our schedule. They refused to play us. Can’t say that I blame GSU with UGA already on the schedule, but PJ has plenty of nads to play GSU!
By College Fan
August 7, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this
So when a player for another school decides to transfer to Tech, what does the coaching staff say to him: “Identify a relative with a sickness and we will put in for a waiver of the one year sitout rule so we can use you now.”
First Choice, now this DB. It sounds like the NCAA needs to take a look at GT. It may be probation time again.
By LSU Fan
August 7, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this
College Fan,
How about you shut it and go back to cheering for your team, Vandy.
By Cremins
August 7, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this
Good point, College Fan. Father with lung disease is way too distant a relationship and insignificant a disease to qualify for hardship.
By GT
August 7, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
Erk Russell was a great coach, if anything Vince Dooley would have never been Vince Dooley without Erk Russell. He butted those heads and had all that junkyard stuff going on long before he went to Georgia Southern as almost an after thought to Vince retiring and Georgia passing on hiring him as the head coach because they thought he was too old. In fact he probably will be part of Johnson’s coaching experience that ultimately will beat Georgia and the totally non Dooley regime they have up there now. I like Richt but I think those old Georgia teams had less player and more coaching than the ones today. I think poor MR has too much talent which makes coaching very hard.
By Rock It
August 7, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
College Fan, it took the NCAA allowing for the hardship to occur, you moron. Go get a nap before the 3rd shift starts.
By Matt Winkeljohn
August 7, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this
Back from practice.
Coaches didn’t waste a lot of time moving Mario Edwards up upon the news that ACC faculty reps approved his immediate eligibility after transferring from Va. Tech because his father is ill (Mario went to Westlake).
He was working as a No. 1 nickel safety alongside Morgan Burnett, with safety Dominique Reese — who worked as a CB while redshirting last season — up in the slot.
It may be early to suggest that he’ll start in the base defense, as Reese had a pretty good spring and seems to be holding ground, but Edwards is likely to be a big part of the mix.
Cord Howard (shoulder) was back in practice, and Greg Smith (hip) was in a limited role. Jeez, Earls was still out, and so was Melton.
DeMaryius Thomas is having a rock-solid summer, made some plays again.
Matt
By The Truth Hurts
August 7, 2008 6:53 PM | Link to this
Nothing changes this year. gt still suxs
By BlackJacket
August 7, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this
The Edwards/Reese battle will be interesting. Edwards is very physical. Reese is very good coverage. Which do the Defensive coaches prefer?
Thomas will be the 2nd best WR in GT history before he’s done. Amazing that he has 3 years left to terrorize ACC defenses.
By son_sir
August 7, 2008 7:41 PM | Link to this
X’S and O’s aside, CPJ brings with him, as Erk,… confidence, a great desire to succeed, high expectations, a Team first mentality, and most of all, the ability to motivate. Those are a few things that most fail to see or consider. That’s alright… They will in the near future.
By JR
August 7, 2008 8:01 PM | Link to this
College Fan, Just like a bulldog is at the low end of intelligence for dogs you and the other bulldogs fans are at the low end in human intelligence!
By Wow Jr
August 7, 2008 8:44 PM | Link to this
Wow Junior. You really told off the Georgia fans. Hope you didn’t cream in you jeans while typing that one.
By Red Dot
August 7, 2008 8:49 PM | Link to this
Whe you see the Dot it means a lot! Tech women rule.
By pete
August 7, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
What has ramble on been smoking?I’m a longtime Tech fan and Ga. started dominating us because of Erks defense.He was the greatest motivator and got everything out of his players.Dooley owes his success to Erk.I have seen stupid comments on these blogs but yours is beyond stupid!
By Zeb
August 8, 2008 12:16 AM | Link to this
JR, come on man, you know what time of year it is…..CLEAN OLD FASHIONED HATE!! There’s a ton of us dawgs on here who have tech friends, and it’s what makes the work day go by sometimes. Now, ignore some of the idiot dawgs, they’re just tryin to pi$$ you off. I sincerely wish you guys the best and am anxious to see what CPJ can do, as well as I know you are. Let’s all have a good month, cause none of us have a clue what’s going to happen the upcoming year. Like they say, that’s why girls don’t play the game! Let it be decided on the field…PERIOD!!!
By surfrider
August 8, 2008 1:43 AM | Link to this
We all keep talking offense but now the Secondary seems to be moving into a strength. Burnett, Edwards, Reese and others are excellent talents and we have some CB’s as well with Word, Butler and others. The DL should be one of the best around and the LB’s are talented and deep. As for the transfer policy it is my understand the NCAA and the ACC have to vote on the matter so there should be no abuse that has not been aired out.
By jAlabama Jack
August 8, 2008 7:58 AM | Link to this
Look like the only cloud of dust we will see is the result of the scoreboard wildly trying to keep up with points scored.
GO JACKETS !!!!
By richard
August 8, 2008 2:49 PM | Link to this
His Dad has a lung disease you igno.
ya know what would be great - if all these yahoo’s from other teams would stay on their own board.. or get back to their TV/CABLE repair job.
slackers.
By Red and Gold
August 8, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this
Hey Matt - How to the kick and punt receiving teams look. Is PJ going to stick with Chan’s theory of putting good hands people back on punts (and not speed / skill players) plus not playing 1st team pn Kick offs?
Erk Russell was a great man and coach. UGA’s loss was GSU gain. Met him once and I think winning the NC’s made up for the bad feeling he got not getting HC at UGA.