A motto doesn’t win games, but it can serve a purpose.
Georgia Tech’s hope is that a two-word team slogan will galvanize, focus and inspire the Yellow Jackets following the most disappointing of seasons.
“We’re just trying to register Georgia Tech as, Hey, we’re going to be excellent,” defensive end KeShun Freeman said. “We’re going to put in. That’s our team motto. We’re going to put in. We’re going to just do everything we have to do to make us the best Georgia Tech we can be.”
“Put in” was apparently borne out of a team gathering of some stripe. Defensive tackle Kyle Cerge-Henderson said he was “not at liberty to discuss when or where” but described a brainstorming-type session to generate ideas to improve the team. A slogan was a suggestion.
“You see teams with all these slogans,” Cerge-Henderson said. “We realized we didn’t really have anything that we can bank off of. We decided ‘Put in.’”
Behind the (figurative) Put In banner, Tech will conclude spring practice Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium with the T-Day game, the team’s first Saturday spring game since 2011. The Jackets have taken satisfaction with the work that they’ve put in.
“I think, actually, we have a lot more energy this year,” Freeman said. “Last year, we didn’t end well. And being home during bowl games kind of hurt you that you’re not in one. We came back with the enthusiasm and energy saying, ‘Hey, we’ve been off the field for a while. Let’s just go out here and be the best team that we know how to be.’”
Among the developments of spring:
– A-back TaQuon Marshall’s switch to quarterback, where he has challenged Matthew Jordan for the role of successor to senior Justin Thomas.
– The improvement of the offensive line in the final two weeks of spring practice, from “just not very good,” in the words of coach Paul Johnson, to his more satisfactory evaluation of the pass protection: “Nobody’s going to mistake us for the Denver Broncos, but it’s better than it was.”
– The competition in the secondary for the starting jobs vacated by the graduation of cornerbacks Chris Milton and D.J. White and safeties Demond Smith and Jamal Golden. Safety A.J. Gray has emerged as a potential star in the secondary.
“I tell you what,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “I’ve really enjoyed this spring as far as the process of just working to get better. I think our kids have approached it in a very good way, a positive way, and brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm. We’ve enjoyed the work.”
Safety Corey Griffin, in position with Gray to grab one of the starting jobs, said that the team has sought to create a “player-driven” culture.
“I was not as outspoken last year, but this year, I’m totally taking on that role because last year wasn’t as fun at all,” he said.
To Griffin, the slogan means “every day, every rep, give it all you got and put in. We’ve bought into it.”
Not everyone is so on board with the “things are different” line of thought. That includes someone at the top who has heard similar proclamations of changed attitudes, better chemistry and improved work habits on an annual basis over nearly four decades of coaching.
Comparing the spring of 2015 and this year’s spring practice, “I can’t tell much difference,” Johnson said. “They’re about all the same. I think the energy’s been good, but I don’t know that it’s any different.”
Regardless, linebacker P.J. Davis sees “Put in” as a call to action.
“Just making sure you, as an individual, are coming in and giving your teammates – your brothers – everything you’ve got each and every day, just putting in,” he said. “Laying it all out on the line each and every day you come to practice. Not just in practice, even in the classroom, the weight room, everything.”
Every ounce of preparation will be necessary. The ACC Coastal Division underwent what appears to be a considerable upgrade in coaching staffs, which could make the Jackets’ planned ascent from 3-9 a most rigorous exercise. That being the case, players break down huddles and finish weight-room workouts and the like with “Put in.”
Said Davis, “We just want to make sure everybody’s all in.”
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