By Jack G

December 17, 2007 2:37 PM | Link to this

Bench Bennett

By Ramblin Wrecker

December 17, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this

I would get Morgan Burnett on the field full time. The kid is a playmaker. I think I’d also try to get DJ Donley on the field more. He’s big, strong and athletic and seems to have that “it” factor to him, much like Burnett and Dwyer. That class looks like a world beater if they can keep them all.

By WaCoJacket

December 17, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this

Another brilliant Geis/Gailey move. Let’s move the only guy not named Calvin Johnson that can catch to CB. Gailey sure screwed up his chances at a good career. He was a good inside option at WR.

By WaCoJacket

December 17, 2007 2:55 PM | Link to this

Another brilliant Geis/Gailey move. Let’s move the only guy not named Calvin Johnson that can catch to CB. Gailey sure screwed up his chances at a decent career. He was a good inside option at WR.

By Ramblin Wrecker

December 17, 2007 2:56 PM | Link to this

Oh yeah, I’d bench Bennett too. Let Josh Nesbitt get all the reps and let Paul Johnson see what he can do.

By Tom P

December 17, 2007 2:59 PM | Link to this

Play Booker and Nesbitt more. Let Mike Cox run it a few times. I think it gives Clark a better chance to play. Hopefully he’ll show up big time and catch the winning TD or something like that.

By kentuckyjacket

December 17, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this

I read an article earlier today that stated the recievers felt a little better after talking with Johnson. I don’t know if their performance was because Gies and Gailey couldn’t coach up and develop but as a group our receiver’s were the biggest disappointment this year. Our QB numbers would still have ranked near the bottom of the ACC but our receivers sure didn’t help him. Too many times I believe the game could have been different if we make a few catches at critical points in the game. If Smith makes a catch over the middle early against Va Tech, who knows? If Earls makes the catch on the second play against the dogs, who knows? If I was them, I wouldn’t worry about playing time, I would learn to catch the ball! One other thing, people are conveniently forgetting Tracy Ham threw for over 2000 yards each of his seasons under Johnson at GSU. He will throw the football if someone can catch it!

By Jack G

December 17, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this

Bennett cant pass or run——all he can do is handoff to a running back. anyone can do that. Start Booker or Nesbitt and lets see what they can do when they are not mopping up after Bennett.

By surfrider

December 17, 2007 3:13 PM | Link to this

It’s curious why Clark did’nt stay at Wr’ since we needed some experience and pass catching ability,so this appears to be a good move. As for Tech’s wr’s hang in there, this is going to be a much more potent offense than we’ve seen at least since the late 90’s. WE did’nt seem to have much of a passing attack the last several years eventhough Calvin had some great games, in terms of national offensive rankings. There will probably be plenty of play action passes that at least have a better chance of completion verse what we have seen. There were three pretty good option Qb’s at Tech who could throw ball and we seemed to have better passing games than we have the last several years and that was John Dewberry, Shawn Jones and Joe Hamilton. They could all run the option pretty good.

By ODELL THURMAN

December 17, 2007 3:25 PM | Link to this

Tom P wasn’t M Cox a senior last year?

I hope not, him, Dwyer and R Jones in the back field would be awesome. Mike’s brother should be very good also.

With this offenes, how could Nesbitt not be the starter. Bennett might/should be number 3 QB

I think DJ Donley should field some punts too. Gailey should have had him doing that last year. We need someone back there that has break away speed.

By Mike Knobler

December 17, 2007 4:10 PM | Link to this

Odell, Mike Cox is a senior. I think Tom P was referring to strategy for the bowl game, not for next season.

By David

December 17, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this

Throw the ball to Peek more, play Nesbitt the whole game. For the love of humanity get Djay Jones off the field, if I see him take another awful angle on a WR I’m going to scream. Throw the ball to Thomas and Johnson and stop throwing the ball to Drops Smith. Oh and what about a screen pass? Run some option with Nesbitt and Choice by the way. This was a stream of consciousness post.

By Duder

December 17, 2007 4:20 PM | Link to this

Good article on the wide receivers and on Clark in the blog. I criticized when the blog was pure speculation and no news, now I say thank you.

By trout

December 17, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this

strategy for this game is to beat Fresno State and not get too caught up in “next year”. That’s going to be the biggest challenge for Tenuta b/c most of these kids are playing for their careers whether it be the seniors or underclassmen trying to prove something to Johnson. He has to calm these kids’ minds down a bit despite all the changes. And you have to wonder if Tenuta’s mind hasn’t wondered to thoughts of LSU either. I wouldn’t base this game on next year is my point.

Has anyone confirmed if Johnson will be attending the bowl game as a spectator?

By style question

December 17, 2007 4:27 PM | Link to this

Some of you guys seem to be advocating using the PJ style O even before the team attempts to learn/practice that style. Is that wise?

Also, a few seem so anti Ben…like someone already said, a few more catches would certainly have made a huge differance.

Is coach T the coach of the bowl game? Will PJ just watch/maybe advise???

By Tom P

December 17, 2007 4:33 PM | Link to this

Cox is a senior this year but it seems we may have some decent fullbacks behind him. The reason I say run Cox is that this is his last game and the guy is actually a pretty decent runner. Fresno State’s run D sucks. Hit em with Choice, bounce it outside with Dwyer, and then knock em out with Cox. Running the ball with these guys and Nesbitt will win this game.

By I know...should be e

December 17, 2007 4:40 PM | Link to this

.

By JustMe

December 17, 2007 5:28 PM | Link to this

IMHO, the best chance to win is with Bennett at QB. He may not be next year’s QB, but for this game, there is no doubt he has more game experience and knows the other players, the plays, etc. much better than Nesbitt.

By GT GRAD

December 17, 2007 8:11 PM | Link to this

Kick off and punt returners should be capable of breaking big returns……find players with reliable hands which have SPEED and let them make things happen!

By alan

December 17, 2007 11:43 PM | Link to this

Tech shouldn’t take this game too seriously. Give some kids some playing time that may not normally get it, play loose, have fun (if possible -weather permiting). The real work should begin in Spring practice. The Gailey offense is going in the toilet where it belongs and there is no advantage to rushing these players into offensive sets now that they are not familar with.

By 007, we hardly knew ye

December 18, 2007 5:08 AM | Link to this

Agree with JustMe. Bennett needs to start the game and get the majority of the snaps to give Tech the best chance to win.

This likely will be the last game at Tech for Bond, John Bond. It certainly will be the only game for Coach Bond when we’re all assured of no one reining in his offensive game plan.

So, the Humanitarian Bowl represents Bond’s chance to showcase plays that he ran in practice, but never got into games. It also gives Bond a chance to show how his offensive philosophy differs in entire SERIES of plays from Gailey’s (if any).

Because Bond ran practices with Bennett primarily running the first-team offense, it therefore makes most sense for Bond to call his own game with Bennett primarily under center.

BTW, hats off and big Thank You to Adamm Oliver, who apparently will not be able to play in the bowl game. The Machine will be sorely missed.

By Chris

December 18, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this

Yes, Mike Cox is a senior. We do have another Cox that took a redshirt year this year, though. Luke Cox, Mike’s “little” brother, is going to be a RS Soph. next year after transferring from UConn and burning his redshirt . I say “little” because he’s just as big as Mike at about 6’1”, 250 lbs.

I think we do need to let Mike run the ball a little more in short-yardage situations, if only to keep Choice/Dwyer/Evans from beating themselves to death running into the pile. Wide-body fullbacks are much better for those short gain situations. Mike has shown that he will get 3+ yards every time he touches the ball, and I think his brother will be the same way.

The Cox family apparently is a fullback factory. Mike and Luke are both here, and there’s a third brother that’s about the same size playing fullback in high school now. Their father was also a fullback. I would not be surprised in the least if their mother could also play fullback.

I expect to see a more varied offense with Bond alone calling plays. I hope we can utilize the short passing game a little more, with some screen passes, 10-yard come-back patterns, and quick outs. I’m indifferent on the direct-snap-to-Tashard plays. They know what’s coming every time, but they work occasionally, and the one time Tashard threw out of it, he threw a TD.

By yellowblood

December 18, 2007 11:07 AM | Link to this

Recruits are leaving! Have they been told that they will not be able to continue our tradition of Tickle Piling?

By NeoCons are Clowns

December 18, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this

and the ajc loses another thousand subscriber - keep up you tech bashing losers. Tech will be here long after the ajc is gone, and atlanta needs to find another source of toilet paper.

By HaHa

December 18, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

Just when your recruiting class couldn’t get any worse, you lose another pathetic recruit. Don’t worry I’m sure he wasn’t good in the first place, he did commit to Tech in the first place. Seven in a row.

By HaHa

December 18, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

Just when your recruiting class couldn’t get any worse, you lose another pathetic recruit. Don’t worry I’m sure he wasn’t good in the first place, he did commit to Tech . Seven in a row.

By BuzzFactor

December 18, 2007 1:15 PM | Link to this

I think Clark is a capable reciever who will help us more there. I would get Booker and Nesbit into the game. I would also move YellowBlow to the bottom of the puppyshat pile. He flunked out of UGA in his 1st year, but was hired by the school to scoop “UGA’s” dog crap at road games.

By ben

December 18, 2007 2:33 PM | Link to this

Who cares? Just know that Gailey ruined Clark’s career just like Bilbo’s and several others.

By XXXX

December 18, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

With the Jackson kid refusing Tech to go to Alabama, its becoming apparent what Coach Johnson is bringing and I welcome it. Anyone who believes that Gailey ran a passing attack never saw Tech play. Our QB’s were run-only threats. I’m happy to see Coach Johnson say he going to do both because Tech’s passing game can go nowhere but up.

By Giuliani's Sleazy Sex Life

December 18, 2007 6:06 PM | Link to this

Fire all the worthless ajc sports reporters - no one will notice their absense.