AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 14 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USOdds and ends with Wommack, Monken
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings-
I think we’re going to take a break from basketball. I don’t know if you saw the story we ran in Tuesday’s paper about the football team’s objectives over the offseason, but I spoke with Dave Wommack (defensive coordinator) and Jeff Monken (A-backs, special teams coordinator) for the story. Unfortunately, I could only catch up with Monken after I filed the story. I thought I’d share a few things both said that didn’t make it into the story.
First, Monken: Naturally, he was not at all satisfied with how special teams played.
“I think that the kicking game has got to improve in general. We didn’t cover kicks good enough, we didn’t return kicks far enough, we didn’t kick the ball good enough. Overall, the kicking game’s got to get a lot better. We need to have plays out of the kicking game to help us win games and hopefully win some of those games we lost.”
He explained something about the coaching of special teams that I knew - that all coaches are involved - but didn’t know the specifics of (sorry to end a sentence on a preposition). He said that Charles Kelly (cornerbacks) coaches the punt team, Brian Jean-Mary (linebackers) coaches punt return, Buzz Preston (wide receivers) coaches kickoff return, Mike Sewak (offensive line) coaches the extra point and field goal teams and Wommack coaches the extra point and field goal block units.
It makes sense, as Monken also coaches A-backs. He said that he’s just the one with the title.
“Everybody’s involved and everybody’s got a vested interest in special teams,” he said.
I wanted to ask him about the kicking game specifically, but we had to cut it short. He did say, though, that Paul Johnson’s procedure has been to open all positions, not just special teams, but on all three units.
“It’s all up to who performs the best and who we think gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “That job (kicker) will be up for competition, as it was every week.”
I asked Wommack about a few things, like how players have to get stronger and needing to develop the defensive line, some of which went into the story. He said, too, that the secondary and linebackers are going to have to get better to become a strength in the way the defensive line was this year.
While he didn’t want to make excuses, he noted, as Johnson did during the season, that depth was a major factor, in that Tech didn’t have much of it, in part because of scholarship restrictions. It was particularly the case at linebacker with so many guys, such as Brad Jefferson and Shane Bowen, getting hurt.
I asked about the Chick-fil-A Bowl again. He said immediately after the game that he thought the team lacked a mental edge, perhaps because of the high it had been on after beating Georgia. I wondered if maybe he’d reconsidered, given some time to think more about the game. But he hadn’t.
“That’s my responsibility on defense and our responsibility as coaches to do that, but you have to be ready to play every game,” he said. “Mental discipline is just as important as physical discipline. … I think they learned a lot from this game. It’s too late. We can’t go back and re-play that game, but it’ll only be good for us if we can learn from it.”
Lastly, he said that with the relative down time, coaches will look back at film and analyze the scheme to make sure it fits the personnel, make sure players are in the right places, look for weaknesses, etc. Tech also has a recruiting weekend coming up.
“You know how that is,” he said. “You’ve got to stay on top.”
He also said that he planned to go visit with coaches at other schools. He declined to say where he thinks he’d like to go.
Not sure if I have a specific question, but you’re free to comment on any of it, obviously - What do you want to see happen with special teams? What players are you anxious to see develop? What do you hope the defense can do better? What schools would you suggest that Tech’s coaches visit?
Comments
By T-Bone
January 14, 2009 9:02 AM | Link to this
With as many Freshmen and Sophmores as we played last year, we can’t help but be better next year.
By Carolina Jacket
January 14, 2009 9:17 AM | Link to this
There seems to be a couple of walk-ons, a punter and a kick returner, who were very successful in high school. Is there any chance that either of these will step up and help the special teams?
By Jacketnation
January 14, 2009 9:20 AM | Link to this
How to help the kicking game: get another kicker. Sign one to a scholarship. Scott Blair is s short range kicker. When to ball comes down at the ten, and before the kickoff team has gotten down there, you are going to give up a big return. Scott Blair can’t kick a filed goal past 40’. That ain’t going to get it done.
Get another kicker; Hello?
By Melinda
January 14, 2009 9:55 AM | Link to this
Didn’t we replace 3 crucial pieces to the special teams puzzle last year? Kicker, punter and long-snapper? I think experience will be a key factor. Every unit was young, with the exception of the defensive line. I like that the coaches are doing such thorough evaluations of strengths/weaknesses and will spend a lot of time fine-tuning them.
By NVJacket
January 14, 2009 9:55 AM | Link to this
Scott would be a decent kicker if that is all he did. Need to have others step up to punting and kickoff duties.
By GT66
January 14, 2009 10:00 AM | Link to this
I keep hearing that a kid in california named Neil Patrick Harris would be a good addition to the team. Anyone know what position he is?
By GTMacho-Man
January 14, 2009 10:02 AM | Link to this
Can anyone tell the background on why GT has football scholarship restrictions? When do those restrictions end?
By GT66
January 14, 2009 10:18 AM | Link to this
The scholarship restrictions are over. They were instituted by the NCAA because the academic monitor did not monitor the academic progress of a number of players during O’Leary’s tenure. He was ultimately responsible and screwed up which screwed us. I believe that is the first time we were ever put on probation or had sanctions against us in any sport other than tennis years ago under Gary Groslimond. I agree with Jacketnation. Scott Blair should not be punting or kicking. He seems to be a very good athlete (many tackles on kick off returns and punt returns, but cannot kick. We need to expend a scholarship on a great kicker and punter or two if need be if one guy cannot do both.
By wes
January 14, 2009 10:21 AM | Link to this
You can coach em’ all you want but it won’t fix the 18.51% punts dropped percentatge.
You can either catch at this level…or you can’t.
We clearly can’t. Not sure why Andrew Smith had to prove that twice.
By TG
January 14, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this
I hate how GT runs their special teams!!! There needs to be 1 special teams coordinator and he runs all the special teams…not broken up between 5 or 6 different coaches…what a joke!!! That is why the special teams unit is all screwed up…too many chefs in the kitchen!!! Break down and hire a special teams coordinator!
By GTMacho-Man
January 14, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this
GT66 - So We have been under scholarship restrictions since O’Leary’s days? How many scholarships were we short? Is it officially over now?
By GTMacho-Man
January 14, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this
GT-66 - Ignore my follow-up question about the restrictions being over; missed it in your response. Thanks for the info
By GT66
January 14, 2009 10:37 AM | Link to this
By the way, Scott Blair was also a great athlete in high school. I have a picture of him in my office without his shirt on.
By ABQJacket
January 14, 2009 10:38 AM | Link to this
The violations actually occurred during 1998-1999 and also 2004-2005 (when Chan Gaily was head football coach).
According to an ESPN article:
Gene Marsh, a law professor at Alabama who chaired the investigating committee, said Tech’s registrars and academic advisers were inadequately trained in NCAA regulations. Marsh said the committee concluded the “institutional failure” to train the employees on NCAA rules “constitutes a non-debatable lack of institutional control.”
In my opinion, this ultimately falls on Dave Braine.
By GTMacho-Man
January 14, 2009 10:39 AM | Link to this
TG
I concur - I thought the same thing when I read the article
By jabster
January 14, 2009 10:55 AM | Link to this
Re: academic monitoring, it was Frank Roper, registrar, who was asleep at the switch. He was supposed to have attended these NCAA seminars on compliance and never did. He was nearing retirement, mailing it in, and it bit us. He retired shortly after all this blew up.
The NCAA doesn’t mention Frank Roper by name as the registrar in the report, but it’s obvious who it was by the length of tenure given for the position by the NCAA.
Scott Blair does a good job with kickoffs, for the most part (anyone remember just how bad KOs were before him?), but needs to give FG/PAT to someone else (but don’t forget the responsibilities of the snapper and holder, either), as it seems like he has regressed a tad since taking on the other kicking duties. He can compete for the punting job, although he’s certainly no Durant Brooks and nobody should expect him to be (except in the pursuit of perfection). Return coverage needs to improve and that’s not his fault.
And neither are return fumbles, for that matter. Better to have died a small boy than fumble this football.
By buzzwax
January 14, 2009 10:57 AM | Link to this
TG,
I agree with you but did some research of how other teams treat special teams from a coaches perspective. UGA, UF, VT - NONE have a dedicated special teams coordinator. Look it up on their websites. Meyer and Beamer handle them with a VERY hands-on approach. Don’t know how UGA really does it? GT’s challenge to have the HC do it is CPJ is so involved in the O their is no way in hell he has time to do this. IMO, since CPJ is HC and OC we don’t have a full time OC. If you believe in our coach, you have to believe he will find a solution.
By okeefe59
January 14, 2009 11:01 AM | Link to this
TG good idea BUT you can’t just run out and hire extra coaches.There is an NCAA restriction on the number of coaches allowed.I like Beamers method at VT—head coach handles Special Teams except in our case ,the head coach is th offensive coordinator.So in the case I defer to CPJ’s method.I have faith,he’ll get it right.WE WILL HAVE GOOD SPECIAL TEAMS.
By John Conklin
January 14, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this
The collective special teams coaching seems odd to me. I would also assume that with so many coaches fingerprints on special teams you could create some confusion with different styles or appraoches. I would think Frank Beemer’s approach would be one to mimic.
On the flip side, CPJ would probably tell me that every coach has a vested interest.
Does anyone else think this multi-caoch this is strange?
By ken sugiura
January 14, 2009 11:22 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the comments. To address one post, Johnson is involved in coaching special teams. I’d have to expect that that unit will improve next season, particularly the cover and return units, as players get used to scheme in the same way that the offense and defense should.
And I don’t think having different assistants contribute to the coaching is that unusual, as Buzzwax pointed out.
The last I checked Tech’s recruiting targets, Tech is not offering a scholarship to any kickers. It’s possible that they could invite a walk on to challenge for the position.
By okeefe59
January 14, 2009 11:23 AM | Link to this
I like the idea.I like the vested interest idea.Team coaching. Again, I say CPJ will get it right—he is a really good HEAD coach.
By Jaded Jacket
January 14, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
I like the way special teams responsibilities are broken up, but not necessarily how well they were coached in 2008. I think it’s important that the whole staff have a vested interest in special teams because it goes hand-n-hand with Johnson’s preachings that it’s a “team” effort. We don’t want to go back to the Chan Gailey era where one coach did this and one did that. It was evident it didn’t work at all.
By Atlanta Jackets
January 14, 2009 11:46 AM | Link to this
I googled the internets and found some video of Derrick “Do me a” Favors! That kid can play. We really need him at Tech. He may struggle as a freshman but by the time he’s a junior or senior, we’ll be regulars in the Final Four. I know that’s bold, but guys, go look at his film. He’s crazy good! LOL!
By ggodsey
January 14, 2009 11:51 AM | Link to this
Good morning toolbags. Its hilarious to see you nerds debating special teams.
By UGA is so last year
January 14, 2009 12:03 PM | Link to this
That our players would be on a ‘high’ or complacent after beating UGA for the 1st time in 8 years says something about us. We will never get to the top with this mentality! We need to go out and want to destroy every team we play - every game - no matter the game or opponent. The good teams do that - we do not. This is not something you recruit. This is an ‘environment’ that is delivered by the coaches. They need to ramp up their game if they think the players ever will. The LSU game was the biggest disaster in our program’s history. Totally took away any great feelings I had about the year or the win over UGA. You’re only as good as your last game. Our last game? 3-38. We are not that good.
By UGA is so last year
January 14, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this
ggodsey, we could debate which school has the longest win streak in the GT-UGA series but that is a no brainer. GT - and always will bee!!!!
By GT
January 14, 2009 12:11 PM | Link to this
The drop in the bowl on kick off was a coach able fix. The guy dropped the ball after being slung because he was carrying it wrong. A coach in one year can’t fix all ills and we were pretty pleased at what we had here. This group of coaches desire some excuses, they didn’t use up the ones the press gave them at the beginning of the year. We were happy to return to the trailer park front pouch of the Gailey era, but instead beat Georgia and FSU. The special team may get better next year, the old boy with his pants up to his arm pits watching on the sideline can tell ya that you got to have a good em to win games. We do a lot of gambling with our special teams, which is charged on their account, but it sets the table for the other team to be put on notice these guys just aren’t right. Football is not the Baptist Church and doing it by the book will not get you to heaven or in this case win football games. What to do wrong is why CPJ is paid the big bucks even high pockets knows what is right.
By ggodsey
January 14, 2009 12:42 PM | Link to this
Honestly guys…stop.
By ggodsey
January 14, 2009 1:21 PM | Link to this
Thank you. I was getting embarassed for you guys.
By razerGT
January 14, 2009 2:31 PM | Link to this
Funny you should mention special teams, ggodsey. Have we mentioned how much we appreciate Blair Walsh kicking that kickoff out of bounds at the beginning of the second half? He practically gifted that 60 yard TD by Dwyer.
By ggodsey is so cute
January 14, 2009 2:53 PM | Link to this
razerGT, Let’s take GA’s special teams play in the 45-42 STINGER a few steps further…
Yeah, nice out-of-bounds kickoff. 1st Tech play - 60-yd TD!
Then you get the “Whoa Nellie, FUMBLE!!* by Richard Samuel on the ensuing kick-off after the Jackets tied the score at 28. 1st Tech play after the FUMBLE…23-yd TD run by “The Deisel!!”
Then Roddy Jones gets 20+ yards to the 30-yd line on GA’s kick-off at 38-35. Then the killer, when GA really needed a good SPECIAL TEAMS play, at 45-42. The kicker fails to produce a touchback resulting in “supperb” specail teams tackling by the dogs as Roddy Jones gets 37 yards to the 44-yard line.
Wooooooooo, 45-42. Has a nice “RING” to it wouldn’t you say, ggodsey?
By gt4ever
January 14, 2009 4:16 PM | Link to this
Let me apologize up front. I would never criticize a college kid(athlete), but put somebody back on punts that give you a chance for success. It reminds me of the Chan Gailey days, the coach is supposed to put the best players on the field. You can’t tell me that we don’t have somebody better to return punts! Even if the guys catches the ball, and is wide open, he could NEVER take it to the house. Please, coach, these are just BASIC coaching philosophy’s. I am an old fart and I will bank my forty yard dash time with the kid we had returning punts……
By Jacketbacker
January 14, 2009 5:48 PM | Link to this
I agree that Special Teams need to improve…all phases. Yet as has been pointed out, Special Teams was no different than the O-line, QB, WR, LB, DB..all young and not much experience. Some games were good, some not so good.
Some areas improved from beginning to end:
Some areas regressed:
Bottomline is I like CPJ’s and Coach Monken’s approach…competition. It only makes eveyone better. They judge that each week and make the best decisions they can. I think every position except B-back, a saftey position, and a DE spot is open for next year. But I think some of these guys, like Blair, Jones (punt retuns), will have outstanding years next year with this year under their belts. Go Jackets
By basketball for GT next year
January 14, 2009 6:51 PM | Link to this
Favors!
By okeefe59
January 14, 2009 6:54 PM | Link to this
CPJ will get it right
By jacketfan1
January 14, 2009 7:13 PM | Link to this
all i have to say is that a special teams turnover makes me sick. the defence does their job to get the ball back an the BAM muff the return eeerrrr
By Arob
January 14, 2009 7:16 PM | Link to this
How about putting someone back there that is actually a threat to break it. Rmember Jonathon Smith? Its been a long time, but a game-breaker would surely help. Maybe next year, one of the younger guys can step in.
By GT4Life
January 14, 2009 8:16 PM | Link to this
Yeah, a threat at punt returner would be nice. My neighbor and I have named Andrew Smith “Out of Bounds”. As in punting to him is the same as punting out of bounds. The ball advances nowhere. They should list his position as “punt catcher” because he returns nothing.
By GT GRAD
January 14, 2009 10:23 PM | Link to this
Did anyone else notice that our defense became consistently worse from the start of the season to the end?
I hope Wommack and his assistants are capable of developing talent and making the correct defensive decisions/adjustments, but I am a little concerned. I sincerely hope the GT defense did not “ride the wave” after several years with Tenuta. I sincerely hope Wommack and company are up to the task at hand!
I trust CPJ, but I am not a true believer in Coach Wommack just yet.
By Jimmy
January 14, 2009 10:36 PM | Link to this
Y’all don’t get too excited over Favors actually playing for Tech. I’ve got an “inside source” that tells me this kid, although smart, doesn’t ‘test’ too well. He might not qualify to play for Tech, in which he would just play overseas for a season then enter the NBA draft next year. Hopefully for y’all, he’ll qualify, play his one season for Tech, and become a millionaire.
By What a bunch of crap...
January 15, 2009 7:06 AM | Link to this
Monken is just making excuses - you don’t hear Frank Beamer or Urban Meyer saying that “other” people really do the coaching,”they just have the title” of special teams coach!
Thirty + years ago when I coached with Pat Dye at East Carolina one position coach had the title of “special teams” coach, and he coached ALL special teams, with input from other coaches, but HE, and HE alone, was responsible for all aspects of the special teams. Nothing has changed in the intervening 30+ years!
By BravesFan79
January 15, 2009 7:43 AM | Link to this
the BCS makes College Football a JOKE of a sport!!
Would anyone write a article about hoops during football season on the SAME DAY GT signed the #1 Recruit in the NATION in football?? Of course not! So why would you not give the same respect to a sport in which GT could actully win a CHAMPIONSHIP!?? Because we all know theres no way the BCS puts the Acc champ in the title game not named Miami or FSU.
Basketball rules at GT, and always will.
By OptionBee
January 16, 2009 7:25 PM | Link to this
For all the talk about the probation simply know this: This was a direct result of “Brain Damage” and Clough sleeping at the wheel! Frank Roper was made out to be a scape goat! GT paid out over $500,000 in legal fees at the direction of Clough just to keep the finger from being pointed correctly at Clough and Brain! When O’Leary left Tech, O’Leary’s personal academic hire was fired by Braine, and the woman on Clough’s staff on the hill who demanded the job, never even visited the players. She was a Clough “academic” who had already been reassigned several times instead of being fired as would have happened in the business world! Also, most kids did not flunk, they simply were not monitored, changed majors as many do at Tech, and lost hours toward graduation which is common when you change majors! Clough is the ultimate blame, but he used Roper as a shield! Thank God he is gone!!!
By addicted
January 16, 2009 9:57 PM | Link to this
Most of you guys dont seem to realize one very important college FB concept… The only teams with good special teams, are teams with a lot of depth, who can afford risking injury to their best players, and so they put them in for special teams. Lack of depth is felt FIRST in special teams…
Our depth this year was so bad, that we were feeling the lack of depth in skill positions on both offense and defense. Having true freshmen come in and switch to O-line from A-back and have true freshmen cover pretty much the entire backfield on defense showed how few healthy players we had available. No good HC was going to risk his good players on special teams.