Nary a detail on special teams has escaped Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson's attention this spring. After faulty special teams repeatedly impaired the Jackets last fall, Johnson has not been shy about offering his input.
"He's putting an emphasis on all of it," said secondary coach Charles Kelly, who, like all of the coaches, has a hand in special teams.
Johnson said prior to spring practice that he would be more involved in coaching special teams following generally poor play by those units last season. Tech finished 97th out of 120 BCS teams in both kickoff return and punt return yardage. The other units have gotten more time and attention as well. Johnson has been more involved in special teams meetings and in the coaching on the field.
More than coaching schemes, Tech has focused on the fundamentals of special teams play -- snapping, holding, punting and kicking.
“I know, for example, we were inconsistent snapping the ball at times, which makes you inconsistent punting the ball,” Kelly said. “And that leads to [poor] coverage, which two years ago we were pretty good at.”
Last year, Tech was 114th in net punting (32.2 yards) after ranking 17th (38.1 yards) in 2009.
“He’s been very involved with the punters,” Kelly said. “When they punt, he’s over there.”
Drummond thriving
A B-back for his first two seasons, Daniel Drummond continues to improve at inside linebacker. He has been playing with the first unit alongside Julian Burnett, ahead of B.J. Machen, Albert Rocker and Quayshawn Nealy. At 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, the agile Drummond has given his coaches confidence he can handle the physical demands of the position. He has adapted to the mental demands of the defense quickly.
"He's willing to put in the time and the effort to put his nose in the playbook and learn what he needs to," linebackers coach Joe Speed said.
On Monday, Drummond and Burnett wore yellow jerseys, indicating that they were kept out of contact portions of practice.
No more baseball
After playing baseball last spring, A-back Roddy Jones decided against it this year. Jones, who was drafted in the 39th round by the Chicago White Sox coming out of high school, began studies in Tech's MBA program this semester and wanted to devote himself to his studies and football.
“It was just a decision I felt would help my sanity and help me really focus on this season upcoming because I think the football team is where I’m needed the most,” he said.
Jones appeared in nine games with the baseball team last spring and was 1-for-8.
Etc.
Johnson was less than enthused about the team's effort Monday. "Not a lot of intensity out there," he said. ... Johnson on offensive lineman Trey Braun, Tech's only early enrollee from the latest recruiting class: "He's stood up well. He's practiced every day, hung in there and shown some toughness. I'm proud of him." ... The Jackets have one more practice, Wednesday, before the T-Day game on Saturday at noon at Bobby Dodd Stadium. ... Several coaches and players were interviewed Monday on 790 the Zone's "Barnhart and Durham" show, which was on campus. Interviews are on the station website.
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