Technical Tidbits 9/17

Yesterday was Paul Johnson's weekly pregame press conference, and the head coach had some great insight on what was going on with the program as far as their preparation to face the Hokies in Blacksburg this Saturday. My biggest takeaway from CPJ's comments were far and away his comments about Justin Thomas's leadership ability (they begin at about the 8:30 mark of the video below). He seems really excited about what Justin brings leadership wise, saying that he is the kind of guy that people are inclined to follow because he does everything in his power to help out the team. I really felt like (and I could be wrong) that Paul Johnson made some of those comments to differentiate Thomas's leadership skill-set from that of Vad Lee, who was always a more vocal leader and possibly the type of leader that CPJ referred to as "the type of guy who is always talking". If you don't have time to watch the video below, you can read some of his best quotes right here instead.

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Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof is understandably very troubled by his unit's performances of late. So far, the Tech defense has allowed 19 points to Wofford of the FCS, 21 to an offensively challenged Tulane team, and blown a 25 point halftime lead against Georgia Southern, allowing 38 points in the process. The unit as a whole has been inconsistent so far, looking stout at times and flat-out disjointed at others, with the secondary getting burned for big plays and the run defense allowing long, clock-killing drives to lesser opponents with similar offenses. The simple truth is that another defensive meltdown by Tech will guarantee a loss in Blacksburg this Saturday -- the offense will struggle against a top-ranked Hokies defense and it will be up to the defense to get some key stops. I am very interested in seeing how Ted Roof adjusts in time for the game.

Scholarships always have been and always will be a matter of much discussion when the topic turns to NCAA rules: should schools be required to offer four year scholarships or is it fair to offer year-by-year contracts on a renewable basis? Regardless of what you may consider to be ethical or the right thing to do, the truth is that the majority of schools still don't give four-year scholarships to their student-athletes. The places where you see scholarships renewed on a year-by-year basis are usually (but not always) football factories, particularly in the SEC. In my honest opinion, I think that it is just less important to have four-year scholarships for athletes at factories simply because people who attend power schools like Alabama tend to be less focused on academics and more focused on making it to the NFL. Is that assertion 100% correct? Absolutely not. It is just something to ponder today and something that recruits absolutely take into account when committing to power schools.

These past few weeks have been utterly awful for the NFL. Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely for beating his wife in an elevator, Panthers DE Greg Hardy was deactivated on similar charges, and now star RB Adrian Peterson has been charged in a child abuse case involving not one, but two of his kids. Peterson beat his sons, both four years old, with a switch, causing multiple lacerations and bodily harm. If that wasn't enough, his son told investigators that Peterson had a "whooping room" where he beat his son. Even more controversy arose after the Vikings decided to reinstate Peterson after just one game; it was hardly a just punishment for the crime. There is a fine line between discipline and abuse, and it would appear that Peterson crossed it with his actions.

What takeaways did you have from the Paul Johnson press conference? Which comments stood out to you? Are you confident in Justin Thomas's leadership ability?

Go Jackets!