Everything Defensive Coordinator Blake Gideon Said After Georgia Tech's Third Practice

Georgia Tech carried on with fall camp/training camp practice today and after the Yellow Jackets concluded their third day on the field, first-year defensive coordinator Blake Gideon spoke with the media for the first time since the spring. Here is everything that he had to say.

1. On wanting to play carefree, simple football...

"I think coaches are guilty all over the country, myself, I'm the most guilty of turning guys into robots, so to speak, right? Hey, these are the rules, you look here, when he does this, you do this, and we take away some of those natural instincts that we recruited the kid off of, right? They did something before they got to us, so it was good enough to get them here, so we're fighting to find that happy medium, right? you know, the most disciplined team in the universe, but also allowing some of that overlap. I think that's just, that's the nature of defensive football nowadays. You gotta have some overlap, you know, you can't, every time one guy, one of 11, is a little wrong, it can't, you know, turn into a 75-yard touchdown, right? You've gotta have some overlap and some guys that are filling in for one another, that are playing with their instincts, 'cause they've all got it. They need somebody to tell them it's okay to use it; they need somebody to tell them it's okay to use it. We thought on film, but are they the personalities that we want, right? I think everybody kind of goes through that, through this whole transfer portal world. Are they gonna fit in the locker room? It's one thing to get a really good football player and a good athlete, but are they the personality type that's gonna fit into our culture? And all three of those guys, number one, they opened their ears and they shut their mouths as soon as they got here, right? And they listened, and they shut their mouth as soon as they got here, right? And they listened, and they learned, and they watched, and they saw how we're doing things here, and then once they felt like okay now's the time to let my light shine a little bit, then they do. I think Jy Gilmore is probably the ringleader in that he just permeates maturity a calmness a poise that is so important in today's game, especially on the back end to calm things down because inevitably they're gonna hit a first down at least, right? And so to be able to calm it down and prevent a disaster from happening. So all three of those guys have been great additions. And like I said, it's easy to find good football players, but find the right personality types. That's what's important to us here, right?"

2. On the defensive end position...

"Yeah, number one, I think all those guys in that room, old and young, whether they started another school, or they just got here out of high school, I think we've finally gotten them to stop looking at the end of the road and just worry about today, right? Just focus on today, let's win this play, let's win this drill, let's stretch the right way, let's go to class the right way, let's be on time. All those little things, the football stuff takes care of itself. But I think a lot of times, people get caught up in the depth chart and where I am starting out at. Don't worry about that, that'll take care of itself. You know, if you start looking too far ahead, then you're not gonna be the best version of yourself. And that's what we've preached to our guys. That's all we need from you, is be the best version of you every day. So I'm pleased with where that room is at, being day three. Coach just spoke to the team out there after practice, and I think the physicality that that today was about and how it sounded like football started in that room and how those guys were playing violently, violently on the edge."

3. On the defense's performance through three days of camp...

"Yeah, again, the thing we've preached when we got here is, yes, we want to be intense. We want to play with passion, but we don't want to be emotional, right? And they're going to get a first down at some point this season, right? They're going to gain 10 yards, right? And so let's be able to reconvene. And sometimes I'm not going to have a chance to get them back over to the sideline to get that, that poise, that calm back to where it should be so that's what I've noticed coming out of the summer is those guys have grown together they trust each other a whole lot more right, I know it was all new back in the spring the last time I talked to you guys but they're, they're trusting the scheme, they're realizing, okay, I'm only gonna do my job as good as you do your job right, your job realizing okay I'm only gonna do my job as good as you do your job, right, your job directly affects how I do mine so you see a lot of that playing off one another and again we bring back the instincts that's, that's what we're trying to promote is what they're recruited off of."

4. On leaning on the leadership when he can't get them on the sideline...

"100 %, yeah, that's something we're talking about right now, like hey, I would love to have 20 timeouts in a game to that I can get you guys over here every time they gain a yard, that's not reality. You guys are gonna have to fix the issues in between plays, right? And the microphone is only talking to one guy. Maybe I'm talking to the Mike Linebacker or the Free Safety, whoever it may be, but you guys have to be able to work the issues and have an understanding of the scheme and understanding of situational football and be a situational master to fix your issue until we can get the big answer whenever you get back to the sidelines. So I'm pleased with the maturity, not just how they deal with each other on defense when good things happen, but how they deal with each other whenever disaster strikes."

5. On if they are ready to play the way he wants to play in week one...

"I feel better than I did back in March or April, right? Whenever again, it was all new. And I wasn't getting the best version of everyone 'cause everybody's kind of worried about, Am I doing this right? You know, coaches included, we're all kind of learning from each other. And so now there's a much higher level of comfort and familiarity coming out of summer. We've been at this thing now for seven months in this defense, and so again, there's, there's a calmness to it. There's an ability to work the problem, and the more guys we have that can do that, the better. I'm gonna sleep at night, right? You're not gonna be able to go up, whether it's Colorado, or whoever here at home in the ACC, whatever, you're not gonna be able to just play with 11 players and play the style of defense you want to play, right? I I mean, we're going to run to the ball if nothing else, right? Whether we are able to cover anyone or tackle anyone or do any of that fun stuff. We're at least going to run to the ball. And so to give that kind of effort that we require at this place, we have to play more than 11."

6. On A.J. Hoffler...

"He's got some talent. He's not at the end of his rope. He can get a lot better. I think he knows that. He's got that kind of maturity. But man, he's a positive kid. He's got a smile on his face and he brings an intensity and a physicality and a toughness and I think everybody saw that this summer because I was frustrated for him you know, not being able to go in spring like he wanted to but he's an outstanding young man, we're blessed to have him his teammates love him which, I care a lot about how your teammates feel about you."

7. On Akelo Stone...

"Again, I've been so impressed, and I gotta give Coach Key a lot of credit on this because he had the relationship before with Akelo. And he came to me whenever Akelo went into the portal and was like, Listen, this is the right type of guy. I know this guy, right? I didn't know him, you know? And so I leaned on the coach. I've got no reason not to trust him. But again, that's what's important to us is getting the right people here. You know, there's just a brand of football that we're gonna play here and the standard that we're gonna hold our guys to. I think he makes that very clear. Not just on the football field, but how they live their lives. And so we want the right kind of people. That's what I've been so impressed with, with all the additions that I really had, nothing to do with that, maybe came here back in January or had been signed back in January is all of them have fit right in and they've shut their mouth and they've opened their eyes and ears and they've fallen right into place and then added to our culture."

8. On how he will will figure out who to communicate with on the headset...

"Yeah, I think it depends on the game plan. Number one, where the biggest line of communication has to occur. If you're doing a lot in the back end that game coverage -wise and you may put it on CP Lee or Omar (Daniels) or one of those guys helmets or obviously if there's a lot of front stuff that you're doing that game a, lot of front adjustments by formation then then you want to have it on a guy that's tied to the front like a linebacker which is the more traditional use but the next thing you got to consider is can that guy handle all of that jargon going on in his head, right, he's trying to see things for himself too. He's trying to see what the formation was and make this check and make this adjustment and get everybody else lined up and then my stupid voice is in his ear right and he can't get it out and so that's that's an experiment right now we've got it on about five or six guys on defense right now and that's an ongoing conversation that I'm having with him just kind of on the side. Is that too much? Is that what you want me to shut up a little sooner? I mean, that's real. Like, I'm not tackling anyone this year. I'm not covering anyone, right? And so I don't want to just be this jabber box over there on the sideline and say, Watch this, watch that, right? Then it ends up being this whole watch the run, watch the pass. Yeah, no joke, coach, right? So I want to make sure it's useful information. And I'm getting it to them early enough to where they can settle everything down and play the game fast or else we're back to square one and I'm more of a hindrance than anything else."

9. On being able to connect with players off the field...

"Yeah, I think you gotta make yourself approachable and relatable. You know, I wear this coaching hat, and at the end of the day, I'm gonna make the final call on defense. But at the same time, I don't want those guys to be scared and backed into a corner. And afraid to ask questions and afraid to grow their game, right? And so we need to be honest with each other. Without honesty, there is no growth. And so we break it down on, if there's one word every day, beyond the toughness. I'm a little younger, and I was in their shoes and in their seats not too long ago, and I remember that feeling of sitting there in that chai,r and my coach is drawing some calculus equation on the board and I'm trying to figure out when do I check this, when do I check that, I never want to lose that, I never want to lose that that sensitivity towards that right and what I wish would have been done in my career or what I wish I would have been coached. And that's different for everybody, but if we don't have an open line of communication, and if I'm not inviting to that, then I'll never know how to coach them best. I need to meet them where they're at. They don't need to meet me where I'm at. I see it a little bit differently than a lot of coaches. So I need to be a teacher first, and I call on all of our D staff to be great teachers."