Nov. 23, 2004
Talk about Georgia QB David Greene
“He’s a very intelligent football player. Their package complements what he does very well, and he’s a smart football player. He knows when to take the risk and when not to take the risk.”
Impact of Georgia coming off a loss and having a week off
“Every team is different. Some teams respond well to a loss and some teams don’t. Some teams respond well to an open week and some don’t There are a lot of variables, but you still have to go play on Saturday. That emotion is directed more at the preparation than it is, probably, on game day.
Blocking David Pollack
“First of all you’ve got to find him. That’s the hard part, because they do a good job of moving him around and getting him in different spots to either rush the passer or play the run. So you’d better know where he is. One of the keys for us will be to see where he is and what we have to do, whether it’s in pass protection or in the run game. You can’t say you’re going to run away from him the whole day, or to him the whole day to keep his pursuit from being a factor. You’ve got to go run your offense but realize the situation is and adjust once you figure out where he is.
Coming off tough game against Virginia
“We’re beat up, but everybody is beat up this time of year. It would have been nice to have an open week, but that’s part of it.
Impact of the Clemson-South Carolina game
“I’ve talked to my team already and I’ll address it again before we play. You don’t want it to, and it will not, become the focal point. The focal point had better be execution of the game plan. So you address it, and you assume that your young men are smart enough to hear the message and deal with it appropriately. And as I said earlier this week, Mark (Richt) is a class act, and I’m sure he’ll handle it in an appropriate manner for his team. I don’t anticipate any issues whatsoever.
Georgia’s Use of Several Tailbacks
“There are different guys, and every guy has a different running style. We’ve obviously had to make the same changes, going through three tailbacks ourselves. Everybody makes subtle changes, The running plays are somewhat the same, but the way that they’re run and executed changes subtly with different tailbacks running the football. Is he a slash guy, is he a bounce-out guy, is he a power guy, and you have to adjust when you see that guy walk in the ballgame.
Impression of Tech-Georgia rivalry while growing up in the state
“I almost remember the Thanksgiving Day freshman game and what it stood for being as big as the varsity game. I knew it was a big rivalry, but when you get in it, you realize just how intense it is.
“It’s not the week of the game; it’s the other 358 days of the year. Win or lose, you live with it.
Did media and fans have unrealistic expectations for Reggie Ball this season?
“I can see both sides of that. I can see that for guy who had as much success as he had as a freshman, there would be pretty good expectations for his sophomore season. On the other hand, I can see that he is still just a sophomore in college.
“Did I think he would be more consistent at this point, yes, I did. And there’s some other players that I thought the same thing about. And then there’s some other players who have exceeded expectations. You evaluate every player, every situation, every game plan, every call, to see if you are putting your best foot forward on a consistent basis.
“There is a lot of pressure playing quarterback in major college football, and you have to understand that side of it, too. And that’s my job, to get him to understand his role and what he has to do to play at a consistent level. The consistency factor has been the issue throughout the year. He has become a better quarterback in certain areas, but it’s the consistency factor. The biggest problem area is the turnovers. There are a lot of things that have been positives, but as I’ve said, the consistency factor is not where it needs to be.
“He’s an excellent athlete, but to me, the things that make him a special player are the intangibles, not the tangibles. It’s not height, weight, speed, hands. It’s work ethic, it’s attitude, it’s selflessness. He’s a model citizen, and that’s what makes him so valuable to the program. We have a great group of class young men who are good to coach, and he’s certainly one of the top ones.
