Everything From Brent Key Ahead of Georgia Tech's Matchup With Deion Sanders, Colorado

Game week is here for Georgia Tech . The Yellow Jackets are five days away from their big week one matchup against Colorado on the road and today, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key spoke to the media about the first opponent on the schedule. Here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"Appreciate you guys all coming out on Sunday. It's not really a Sunday for us, so getting close to the game. But excited, excited the game weeks here and everything we do from January until now is to get these opportunities to go play football. And the first one of the season's coming up and we're getting more excited. We've had a hard camp, we've had a long camp. School started this past week. Then we started getting into game prep as the week went on and I thought we got some things corrected and cleaned up from really the past two scrimmages. And it's good to see the guys be able to put their heads down and be able to focus on the first corner of the season.

So right now, everything's full steam ahead to Friday night. So with that, we'll have any questions?

1. On the amount of depth and the guys that can play...

"Yeah, it's been, well, it's an advantage, obviously, for us over seasons in the past and over last season, but it helps everywhere, especially where we added the depth. It's not just, you at that position, but it really affects special teams. A lot of the guys we added are guys that are major factors on our special teams. Season went on last year and we started losing some bodies out on the field. The thing you don't see as much is the impact it has on teams.

So to increase that, I think it's gonna really help us in those areas. You'll have guys, more guys play, keep guys fresher in the fourth quarter. That's a big point of it. But also with the way we practice and the physicality that we have in our practices, that you're not out there kind of with your fingers crossed. One guy gets dinged up or banged up or whatnot. So you're able to mix other guys in with those reps. Just all in all, it's really helped us build our team. I feel like having a little more confidence going into the season, you have that depth.

2. On coaching against Deion Sanders...

"Yeah, well, coaching against him is the same as coaching anyone else. You know, we're focused on what we have to do and what we have to go up there to be successful. But I think the time leading up to so it's probably the cool thing. It really is. When you grow up, an avid sports fan in the Southeast. And I was a huge football fan, a huge fan of baseball. And obviously, my team was the Braves growing up in Birmingham. So to see him be able to perform and play at both sports is such a high level. It was just the coolest thing because there were two guys then that were doing it. It was him and it was Bo Jackson. And those were the two guys that I wanted to be like when I grew up. So I obviously couldn't hit a curve ball and then went fast enough to play corner or running back. So here I am."

3. On putting out a depth chart when Colorado did not release one...

"Yeah, that's not really having any bearing on how we go about our business. Everyone has to make the decisions best for them and their program. It doesn't really change us one way or the other. We have to watch film, what's on the depth chart to change between now and anyway. So we're going to stick to our processes and do what we do. And we'll find out who it is when we get out there. But that's the last way it goes, first game anyway. First game is all about being as good as you can. It's your base offense, base defense, sounding with special teams, and being able to make adjustments."

4. On the tight ends...

"Yes. Yeah so they could all be in the game they could all, they're all starting level guys they all have different things that they do well they all have different things that they're working really hard to improve so I think all of those guys when they get in the game at any given time could be successful."

5. On the offensive line...

"Yeah, it's still one of those things that we're taking every advantage we can practice opportunities and meeting opportunities to get the right guys in the right spots, to get those guys experience at different spots, to build the versatility that we need to play a long season. But you plan and build and prepare all the way up until now for a long season with your guys. But now it's game week. And now who are those five that are going to go out there? Who are the sixth guy, the seventh guy? And if you're lucky, the eighth guy. But I've been pleased with the development of those guys. I've been pleased with the sense of urgency that they have and it's a long season so we'll see we'll continue to work every day developing guys and preparing for that."

6. On playing in a high-profile season opening game...

"Interesting. I've never really thought of it that deeply. Yeah, at Alabama, we started out the season the first year. There, we played USC out in Dallas, then we played Florida State here actually in the Benz in the first game in the Benz. I'm pretty sure it was. And then the next year, we played down in Orlando, Louisville. And the last two seasons here as the head coach, I've opened up with Louisville in the Benz. And then we opened last year with Florida State overseas. So I just now saying that, that's two cross over two of the same teams, and those are kind of strange.

I love it. I love opening up with an opponent like this, the opportunity to go on the road, it really dials you in, it locks you in and we know this is urgency as coaches, but it also takes now that sense of urgency with the kids and the players and it really puts it at a premium."

7. On cross training the offensive linemen at different positions...

"Yeah, I mean it does, it's a, that's why you cross train guys and you've heard me say it before, the one player goes down, you're not necessarily going to bring the next, the back up at that position if someone else is better, who's the sixth best offensive lineman and that's what we cross train those guys for. So it might be a guy It goes out on the field as a starter first. And someone goes down, and they might be the one to kick over and kick to another spot.

So that's the best one you can get in the game. That's something I believe in. Geep believes in that, Buster believes in that. That's the way I've done it for 20 -plus years."

8. On the decision to have Blake Gideon on the sidelines instead of the booth...

"Yeah, I think you guys put a little more into that than it is. I like guys on the field, you know, especially from the defensive side. He goes back to personality, he goes back to what they're comfortable with. You know, are they more cerebral, you know, in the way they see the game, the way they process what the calls are. Now, offensively, I do feel strongly about the offensive coordinator being upstairs, but defensively, it's really what they feel like they can affect the team the best, and before Blake even said what his preference was, I could tell you where I feel like he'll be able to impact our team the best, and that was down in the field."

9. On possibly facing two quarterbacks on Friday night...

"Again, first game of the season. You're always preparing for the unknowns. It goes back to what we do and what we do best, and becoming really good at that because there's times in a game where they could come out different offense, a different defense, a different structure, whatever. We got to have our base calls and whether it's two calls, three calls, that we know we can adjust, you know, first play of the game, if a helmet comes off, and the next, another quarterback comes in, you know, that could happen any game. So they're both really good players, both very talented players.

And I know, Kaidon had the, I think it's almost 7 ,000 career yards at Liberty. And we're very familiar with Juju, being a local guy, played for Joey King out at Carrollton, and he's been really on the scene around here for a lot of years. They're both really, really talented quarterbacks. When you go into a game like this, you expect both of them to be out there and playing. But at the end of the day, you gotta be able to line up and stop the run and defend the explosives and be able to get pressure and get to handle the football."

10. Update on The Injury Report...

"This has been the healthiest we've been in the camp. And really for myself, in a lot of years, which added-- it's-- and that's a credit to what the AJ's done in the weight room and his crew, you know, the sports science part that we rely so heavily on with and Diaz and Sean Boyle and what Pat does with the analytics and how we put the practices together. And then into the training room, Brad Kimball and his staff have practices together. And then into the training room, Brad Kimble and his staff have done a great job of really building these guys from preparing them because you can't control those things. You can't, but this has been one of those rarities that's been in the positive for us. So hopefully that continues, but whatever it is, next man up.

11. On Colorado being a portal heavy team and past experiences playing teams like that...

"No, I mean If you're asking if there's an advantage from playing as team last year this year, not at all, you've got to make your best assumptions out there. But when you look at their defense, they have a lot of guys back. They have a lot of guys back. I think it's seven or eight guys that started on the defense last year, the dozen or so that-- they're in the two deep from last year But the thing I really see is when you have 20 guys on defense that are juniors or seniors, that you've got-- That's really the same thing. They have that same advantage with the leadership and the older people who've been through the fires, regardless if it was there or not.

They have a lot of guys back on D. And their defense coordinator, I mean, Robert Livingston, I believe, he has done a fantastic job there in one season. You're just really changing the direction of their defense and how they play. Been in the NFL10 years previously. And then offensively, where they do, we are expecting more new guys coming in. Talk about it being free agency. I mean, their offensive coordinator's been in the NFL for 20 years. Pat (Shurmur) has been a head coach for four, been an offensive coordinator in the league for 20 plus years. So he's going to know how to be able to get those guys in the right position and play together. They're big up front, they're going after size and mass. They might be, if not the biggest, one of the biggest offensive lines in the country. And I'm talking every level, they're massive. So it's a challenge just going to play a really good football team. That's the challenge. Whoever they roll out there, we've got to be able to go out and defend it or attack it."

12. On the SEC going to a nine-game conference schedule and the possibility of the ACC going to one...

"I'm worried about the strategy for Friday night. Those decisions are way past me. As long as we're able to go, we have been guaranteed to play 12 games and then play well in those you get to play some more. I'm happy The ACC has been a competitive league and then we have a competitive schedule outside of our league I like our schedule. I like playing out -of -conference teams. I like opening the season in games like this but whatever, whatever Jim and the rest people decide to do I I don't think anybody's going to not like it and not play or something, so whatever they give us, we're going to play."

13. On managing the expectations for the team...

"Well, hopefully they trust us. Hopefully they trust what we're telling them every day. Like I said last week, one of the big things we wanted to make sure we went in and came out at camp was developing that trust between players and coaches and vice versa. Well, you can trust your players, and the players trust the coaches. You can come sit in a film session one day and think, I don't know what they're talking about outside, because we have a lot of work to do. But that's our job, is to give them the right information, to tell them the right things, to coach and teach them the right way. And look, I'd rather there be expectations than so, at the end of the day, it comes down to how you play on Friday this week, but on Saturday afternoons. So, we welcome them, but what our internal expectations are should always be higher than anything externally."

14. On Josh Petty playing both left and right tackle...

"I don't know if I ever, I think I played right and left guard before. I've had players do it. Is it something you just go out and do having not practiced it? No, not at all. I've equated it to being a golfer, and all of a sudden, there's a course you played 150, 200 times, and it's like those you left -handed club. Those you go play it. You know the course. You know how to get there. You know how to get around. You know what the hole is. You know where the sand traps are, but how do you navigate them? Just takes repetition and takes practice.

So Josh is an extremely talented young man. We were very fortunate to bring in a talented young offensive line group last year. And that's part of the cross-training, those guys."