After 12 practices this spring, the installation of Georgia Tech’s new offense is not quite complete. But what has been put in place has received the approval of Yellow Jackets wide receivers.
“It’s real fun,” wide receiver Nate McCollum said Tuesday following the final spring-practice session before the spring game Thursday evening. “(Offensive coordinator) Chip Long has brought a lot to the table and just opened my eyes, like, ‘Yeah, there’s a lot we can do.’”
Wide receivers coach Kerry Dixon called the process of learning Long’s scheme “an uphill climb” after playing in the scheme of offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude for the past three seasons before he was dismissed at the end of the season.
They are changes being made to improve an offense that finished 10th in the ACC in passing efficiency rating and total offense and 12th in third-down efficiency.
But Dixon said his position group has worked diligently at learning the different concepts and formations and adjusting to the faster tempo that Long likes to run.
“I think right now, I would say we’re about 70% of the way,” Dixon said. “Still a lot of different things that I want those guys to excel at – just processing the call and getting lined up fast is something that we actually have to do a better job of.”
The play-to-play speed of the offense is a staple of Long’s scheme. Long likes to keep the same 11 players on the field rather than sub them and hurry to the next snap, which compels the defense to do the same, as rules dictate that the offense doesn’t have to wait for the defense to make substitutions if it doesn’t make its own changes.
The offense has periods of practice dedicated to working at a faster pace.
“That was a little new to us, tempo period, but that’s the goal of the whole drill, that’s the goal of the whole period, is we want to gas ourselves out,” wide receiver Malachi Carter said. “Get down the field, run, run, run, get back, get back lined up. Basically what he’s trying to do is, in moments of fatigue, he’s trying to make sure you can still stay focused.”
Another central element is adjusting routes based off defenders’ positioning. Carter called it the biggest challenge.
“The thing about this offense is you can do a lot of different things based off the defense,” Carter said. “It’s not just, you’ve got a hitch (route), so you run a hitch. No, it’s like, you run a hitch until that corner does this. You run a hitch until that safety does this.”
Or, for instance, if the defense runs a blitz, that means a different adjustment of an assignment.
“It’s a lot, but once you get it, you get a lot more confidence and then you can use that to your advantage,” Carter said. “So it doesn’t really become a challenge to you, more to the defense, once you’re comfortable.”
One aspect of the playbook that Dixon believes will fit his group are the screen passes to the perimeter. It’s a throw that quarterback Jeff Sims and backups Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron have made often this spring.
“Just spinning the ball out quick and letting those guys get in open space to make some plays, I think that’s something that’s going to give us a huge advantage, give those guys more targets and allow them to make people miss and do some special things like they have the ability to do,” Dixon said. “So that part of the offense has me extremely excited, just being able to have answers for different things that the defense is doing to us and get those balls to those guys on the outside.”
Another focus for Dixon in the spring has been improving run blocking. He said he made it a priority after reviewing last season and seeing that the blocking by the receivers needed to be better to help spring runs. Dixon said his group has worked on the blocking sled in each practice this spring.
“We got quite a few holding calls last year,” Dixon said, “so I just wanted to make sure our hand placement was right and that we were doing our best when we get resistance of being able to put guys on their backs and just do things like that, being smart on the outside edge.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
