Paul Johnson unimpressed (again) by Georgia Tech practice
Georgia Tech’s 11th day of preseason camp fell short again in meeting the standards of coach Paul Johnson. The Yellow Jackets practiced for two hours Tuesday afternoon in full pads, focusing on third-and-short situations.
“It went O.K.,” Johnson said. “It’s about like always.”
The Tech defense, Johnson said “did O.K. early. The latter part of practice, they weren’t as good as they were early.”
Johnson is famously difficult to please, but has seemed particularly unsatisfied in this camp by the team widely picked to win the ACC Coastal Division and ranked No. 17 in the preseason coaches poll. Wednesday, he said that some players weren’t practicing with the urgency required to be ready for the start of the season and that the team had “a million talkers” but needed someone to lead by example.
Asked what he was encouraged by, Johnson paused for about five seconds before responding.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The quarterback’s a good player most days.”
Johnson was referring to Justin Thomas, the All-ACC honoree.
“Guys, you have anointed this team as national champs,” he said in something of an exaggeration. “You ought to watch them practice.”
Tech’s practices are closed to the public and media. A reporter tried to take up Johnson on his invitation. The coach declined.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
