Oct. 29, 2007
October 29, 2007
Weekly Press Conference Transcript
HEAD COACH Chan Gailey
Did you watch Thursday night’s game between Virginia Tech and BostonCollege? What were your impressions?
“I did. I thought that Virginia Tech played great for 56 minutes and then BostonCollege and Matt Ryan did what they do.”
Virginia Tech is much like Georgia Tech in that it gets good pressure on the quarterbacks. If they aren’t blitzing as much, what is it that they are doing?
“They are a four-man rush most of the time, but they are extremely good up front. They have eight guys that they play up front. Ellis is a really good player, and the rest of them are pretty good too. Martin and the rest of the guys they bring in after that are good too. That front four and their top eight are really good. They don’t disguise a lot. They twist a little every now and then, but they really just try to power rush and speed rush you.”
Is Virginia Tech the deepest defense that you’ve played this year?
“Probably. This time of year though, you see a lot more of the depth on all teams because of the injuries and things that go on with teams. I know that when Warren plays they don’t drop a ton, not like you would think you’d drop, from Hall to the next guy. Martin was banged up and they played another guy, who played well. Their secondary gets a lot of pickoffs, and they seem to score with them when they get them. They are a great defense, they always have been. We just hit them with some big plays last year, but they’ve always been a great defense.”
What is it like going against a defense like that without your top two running backs?
“I’ll let you know around midnight how that is. We’re going to find out. But I have a great deal of confidence in the two guys that are going to play.”
Does having Choice and Grant out like that bring out better things from other players on the team?
“You hope so. You hope that everyone else understands that the slack has got to be picked up somewhere. You can’t just say `Jamaal and Jonathan, y’all do what the other guys have been doing.’ You’ve got to understand that everyone has to pick it up now. Our receivers have got to block better down the field because if they do break one, we need those yards. Sometimes where those other guys made them miss, these guys might make them miss, but they might not. It’s just because they haven’t seen it, they haven’t been out there. It’s not because they can’t, they just haven’t seen it.”
What are Jamaal Evans’ attributes as a runner?
“He’s very quick, he’s strong. He’s not very tall, but he’s a thick guy so he runs pretty strong. And he’s got excellent vision. He’s a very good running back. I’m looking forward, like everyone else is, to seeing what he can do.”
How much does Jamaal’s late-game playing time benefit him coming in as a starter?
“It helps him some. It helps everyone else a lot because he’s been in there and he’s done it and we’ve watched him in spring practice do those things. So when you have seen a guy do it, you have a great deal of confidence that he can do it in a big ball game, like this one.”
With Rashaun Grant likely to be out for the rest of the regular season, do you have Roddy Jones ready on the sideline?
“It’s too late. And I feel really good about Tashard being back for the next ball game.”
Do you have to hide Tashard’s pads this week?
“You don’t have to hide them, because I want him to get well as fast as he can. But we have to be smart about how we handle the situation. And as we all know, he’ll lie. So you have to make sure you understand the whole situation.”
Is it imperative that you get more production out of the passing game with the two running backs being hurt?
“I don’t think that these guys being hurt has that much to do with it. I think that we need more production out of the passing game in general. We’ve been able to do okay there, we’ve got to do better than okay. We’ve got to get the ball down the field. We’ve got to try to make some big plays in the passing game, and this isn’t exactly the team where you say that we’re going to go out and work on that and make it happen because they are a very good football team overall, run and pass. But if we can come out of the game with a pretty balanced attack, I’d be happy. A balanced amount of yards and numbers of plays, running and passing, I’d be pretty happy.”
Dwyer had a ton of reps in his first four games and has had time to watch more in the most recent ones. Is that good for him?
“If he’s the right kind of guy, which I think he is. I think he understands that he has talent and he has confidence in that talent, but at the same time he still has a lot to learn. It was good for him to get some confidence and to have something good happen, and at the same time I think it’s good for him not to have to go be `the guy’ right now. Let him play when he can and help us win the ballgame if we can, and get his carries and what he does best.”
Are there certain things you are looking for from him?
“We’ve been working on his whole game. He had run the ball a ton out of the gun. He hasn’t had to pass protect like we pass protect. There were several things that were a little bit new for him, but what he’s comfortable at, he’s extremely good at.”
Do you self-scout in the bye week?
“Yes. Defense scouts itself and offense scouts itself. We keep up with it week by week, but you go back and spend a little bit more time on it in the open week.”
Virginia Tech has always been solid on special teams, and this year so is Georgia Tech. Is this a game that you still go into saying that you may be good, but they are the pros?
“Yep. One of the big things is that they score on special teams. Our averages are pretty good, but they score. That’s what we’ve got to make sure of – we can’t allow the big play against this football team. Whether its special teams, whether its interceptions returned for touchdowns, whether it’s big runs or big passes, whatever it is you’ve got to stop the big play from happening against you. That’s how you get the opportunity to win a ballgame like this.”
What is your assessment of Sean Glennon?
“He’s very talented and has a strong arm. He probably hasn’t hit a rhythm that has been good for him yet. It’s a shame that it was a big ballgame for him the other night and it was raining like everything. It was hard for him to be good in that type of game. But I remember when we recruited him, which we did, and I thought he was going to be an excellent quarterback. I don’t think he’s hit a groove there, so to speak. He’s got all the tools, he just hasn’t found it yet. I don’t know what it is or how to find it though.”
Does it make a difference whether its he or Tyrod Taylor in the game?
“Yes it does. The type of offense that you’re going to get is very different, which seems like it’s the same situation we have (every week).
“It’s been a regular occurrence to say the least..”
Jonathan Dwyer, Fr., RB
What does Thursday night football mean to you?
“To me it’s an experience because in high school I never really played on Thursday nights because I was with the varsity. So it’s going to be something different for me. But here at Georgia Tech it seems like a big deal and I am excited to be apart of it and excited to play.”
What have you learned about Virginia Tech?
“Virginia Tech is a good team. They have a good defense, they’re fast, very athletic, and well coached. That’s how they have always been ever since I have known about them. They are a very talented team that comes ready to play each and every week.”
What does it take for a running back to be successful against a defense like that?
We have to listen to the game plan and understand the game plan and follow the offensive line that we have, and Bull (Mike Cox) or whoever else is the fullback in the game. (We must) be patient, have our vision, do the things that Coach (Curtis) Modkins has taught us, and use our athletic ability that we are blessed with.”
Jahi Word-Daniels, Jr., CB
Is there any difference that Virginia Tech’s offense takes on when you have Glennon versus Taylor?
“They are two different quarterbacks. Taylor likes to run the ball a lot, he is very versatile, and Sean likes to pass the ball a little bit more and roll out to let the receivers get to their patterns. They’re both good. They have their strengths and weaknesses and we have to practice for both of them differently.”
Did you notice any differences in Georgia Tech’s offense from last year?
“I think this offense is more in sync. Our offensive line has been great for us. They have played together for a while now and that has really helped out. Tashard being here as a senior and the leader that he is has also helped the offense to mesh well.”
Based on Virginia Tech’s 14-10 loss last week to BostonCollege, do you feel like it’s vital to hold them to a low number Thursday.
“It (the VT-BC game) surprised me. I feel we could have played BostonCollege a little better that what we did. Not to take anything away from their team. I don’t think that (the VT loss) puts us on any more of a higher alert than what we already are, in relevance to the fact that we need to win every game.”
Adamm Oliver, Sr., DE
Have you seen enough tape to know if they (the Hokies) are doing anything significantly different from last year?
“Not too significant; a little wrinkle here, a little wrinkle there. But basically about the same thing.”
What worked for you guys last year against Virginia Tech?
“I think just confusing them more than anything. That has a lot to do with just moving around and showing them different formations.”
Is this a situation where you guys feel like you have to win another conference game?
“Definitely. We know that there is a little light at the end of the tunnel there is a little bit more life left in us. We have a chance. So we need to win this one.”
