Georgia Tech Football Media Day 2016 - Press Conference

stech81 · Aug 2, 2016

nod said:
Cuse: When I met you, we were trying to think of questions for Harrison Butker on field after a scrimmage, so I'll try again:
Butker: Which would you prefer against UGA, 8 extra points in blowout win, or just one field goal which is a game winner with no time on the clock.

One would hope he would pick 8 extra points in a blowout win.

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Notes from MBob Roundtable

Became a grandfather last night
Scoreboard fixes on schedule for home opener
Ticket sales
- Bump in 2015 coming off success from 2014 plus UGA at home
- In a good place for this year, doing well. If we get off to a good start then we have a good chance to land in a good place. Where we thought we'd be.
Conference expansion
- Conference call coming up Friday on follow-up items from ACC media day, which is when Big 12 movement started
- Don't anticipate a great impact to the ACC. They're not going to take our teams.
- Don't know that they'll be in the position to have a Big 12 network
Administrative opportunities to help the football program
- Continue to be supportive; last year was an anomaly so we have confidence
- CPJ has done this a long time and has confidence
- Ongoing ability to make adjustments; no big "ah-ha" that's going to change the dynamic
- CPJ and team did non-traditional things for team bonding e.g., free throw shooting at Zelnak
Ireland
- Brett Daniels handling logistics
- More than a football game - cultural, business development, etc.
- President's office has a lot to do with this; Governor and Mayor will be there
Broadcast job
- Days away from conclusion
ACC schedule
- Very little influence
- Non-conference scheduling and TV schedules dictate most of it
- Not ideal from GT side or Clemson side for game 5 days after playing the prior weekend
- Silver lining is Thursday night games are special
Future schedule
- Discussion includes 8 vs 9 conference games
- Challenge is balancing non-conference games between teams with permanent rivals vs. those who do not
- GT's stance is 8 conference games
Non-conference schedule in the future
- Out there looking all the time
- Tennessee opener next year
- Series with Colorado coming on the schedule
Support staff relative to Clemson/UGA
- Our hope is to improve financial conditions to support that
- Reconfigured our player personnel department this year that coach believes are more effective now than in the past
- Coach has yet to come forward in any serious way with a need for more staff
Timing of COFH
- Do not anticipate GT/UGA game moving to another part of the schedule
- Conference prefers non-conference to start the year
Security in Ireland
- Certainly talked about it; haven't raised any significant concerns
- GT is in a large urban area; we do a good job with in-stadium security
Financial implications of ACCN
- Impossible to know; there is no guaranteed check; this is a start-up where we share profits with our partner similar to SECN
- Distribution levels and subscribers make money; what those numbers will be is impossible to determine

Supersizethatorder-mutt · Aug 1, 2016

Although it might not be the proper forum for this question to MBob, I would really like to know what the Athletic Department thinks about the student-initiated drive to make every game a Gold Out, other, of course, than the White Out game. Are he and the marketing people in the Athletic Department in support of such a move, and is there anything they can and will do to promote it.

dressedcheeseside · Aug 2, 2016

Ask CPJ what he thinks is the single biggest thing that could be done to help recruiting (outside curricular changes). I'd also like to know his take on what kind of toll our challenging academic regimen has on our performance during the season. I know he mentioned that Justin had two difficult courses last fall and that it affected his play to some degree.

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Notes from CPJ

Opening statement
- Really productive offseason; good winter program and spring practice; pleased with work ethic/attitude
ACCM - On JT being "too comfortable"
- Not surprised; perception going into last year; tried to be cautiously optimistic; when guys started getting hurt it compounded; one of the hardest things is keeping guys grounded; never as good or as bad as it seems; fine line between winning and losing
Like it better when people are ignoring you?
- Might be a fair analysis; if you're competitive it gets you going; that's the nature of where we are
- Surrounded by programs with double the budget; need to have a chip on your shoulder to survive; not in the same place with some other programs
- Haven't historically handled [expectations] well here
- Media hasn't been right yet; good thing is we get to the play the games
On comparison of 2014 to 2010
- Somewhat similar; 3 or 4 guys left early
- Never had a year like last year; unbelievable with number of injuries; inevitably the injuries happen at places where you're thin e.g., BB, then by 3rd or 4th game we lost 7 ABs, then started losing guys defensively; played 14 True-Frosh which is the most we ever played
- Still a really young team this year but with more experience
Offseason accomplishments this year vs. last year
- As a team overall, we're in much better condition, dropped a ton of weight
- Made it an emphasis on Body Fat % rather than weight; gave norms/guidelines from NFL positions; number of pounds doesn't indicate good weight
- Want to gain muscle mass/strength
- Still have individuals that struggled but as a team we as are the best we've ever been
Ken needs to move his Honda CR-V from Callaway Plaza
Benefit of Ireland game
- Players will remember it for a lifetime
- As a coach you'd rather not play the game over there, particularly as a conference opener
- Game is so important to this season to get the trend going in the right direction
- Need to find right balance of cultural benefits vs. being dialed in for an important football game
- Remember playing ND in '96... fans thought ND was the underdog - how could they beat the Navy?
AJ Gray
- Overall, he's a really well rounded kid; feet on his ground, great athletic ability, great football sense; played before he was ready and at times got lost; still had a couple INT
- This spring he was almost impossible to block; like to say you teach it; some of it is just innate ability; no one is going to crown him All-Pro as a sophomore in college
- If he had committed to a school other than GT he would have been a 4*; all the schools around us tried to recruit him; solid family
On DL being most veteran group
- Pat's played a lot of positions and fought through injuries
- Need Francis Kallon to have a big year; has the ability and started to get better a year ago; need light to come on
- KeShun - hopefully he'll get back on track from freshman year
- Shuffling the rest of the guys
On team concept this year
- Never know until halfway through the year; reason we elect captains 3-4 games into the year
On JT forcing things last year
- Thought he got frustrated really easily; he had some pretty good players around him in '14; didn't really have to be the leader
- In '15, 3 games in he's surrounded by guys who never played
On WR depth i.e., Philpott
- We'll see if they can stay out on the field, some guys with talent
OL this year vs. last year
- Better athletically than we were a year ago... we'll see how that plays
- Last year Klock/Bryan were freshman; don't even know how Freddie played with everything going on in his life
- Eason Fromayan changed his body as much as anyone on the team
Chris Griffin
- Probably not going to play; talked this morning and came to that determination
One thing to say to the team before first game
- Take care of the ball
- Think turning point last year was the UNC game, for both teams; turnovers cost us the game
Body fat/weights
- Natural body composition - can't add bad weight because it's like playing with a napsack
- JT is a much better player at 185 than 198; at the higher weight he's not as effective
On opposing defenses
- Teams line up the same way as they have 20 years ago
- 9 games last year the teams lined up the same way; might be different because of personell but otherwise
- Clemson lined up the same way as Alcorn/Tulane but with different cats
On GT defense this year
- Key stats for us are 3rd downs, Avg yards/play, turnovers
- Should average more points/game when playing UNC, likewise defense ppg will go up
- 2 years ago we gave up yards but we made up for it with turnovers
- A team like Stanford is going to give us less ppg than Arizona
- Think we played fewer plays last year than anyone else on defense
Graduate transfers
- Think rule has been exploited
- It it were all about academics I'd be all for it
- Would hate to see football go the same way as basketball, and we're getting closer to that

awbuzz · Aug 6, 2016

@CuseJacket - you ROCK! Thanks for the notes.

Wish I could have meet you today. Look forward to it sometime in the future.

grandpa jacket · Aug 2, 2016

CuseJacket said:
Along with Fan Day this Saturday, we hope to have the opportunity to participate in the Media Day portion for the 3rd year in a row.

Like last year, I'm interested to take some questions from the board to the Q&A sessions. No promises on what will be selected and asked. The press conference includes:

CPJ

DB Lawrence Austin

OL Freddie Burden

PK Harrison Butker

LB P.J. Davis

DL Patrick Gamble

WR Ricky Jeune

QB Justin Thomas

AB Isiah Willis

Roundtable with AD Mike Bobinski

Fire away...

Will we have a play by play announcer or just skip finding one, will we ever find a radio station that knows we exist.

ClydeBrick · Aug 2, 2016

Looks like some of you guys want Cuse's media credentials revoked.

tech_wreck47 · Aug 6, 2016

The guys are talking about how AJ is a ball hawk, I don't think cpj was blowing smoke when he said he could turn out to be one of the greats at GT.

CuseJacket · Aug 1, 2016

Along with Fan Day this Saturday, we hope to have the opportunity to participate in the Media Day portion for the 3rd year in a row.

Like last year, I'm interested to take some questions from the board to the Q&A sessions. No promises on what will be selected and asked. The press conference includes:

CPJ
DB Lawrence Austin
OL Freddie Burden
PK Harrison Butker
LB P.J. Davis
DL Patrick Gamble
WR Ricky Jeune
QB Justin Thomas
AB Isiah Willis
Roundtable with AD Mike Bobinski

Fire away...

danny daniel · Aug 2, 2016

Whiskey_Clear said:
The problem with agressive Ds last year was our inability to make them pay passing the ball. If that continues Ds will continue to crash the box and stuff our runs and pitches.

We have to dump the ball short in the flat some. The OLBs have to cover that area and that will keep them from blitzing in the middle so much. We have had some ABs wide open but we never seem to look that way. With the talent at AB this year I hope we get them the ball in space and let them run.

Defenses know we like to throw long to the WRs and to throw deep sideline routes to the ABs. These routes are covered by the Ss and CBs. We have not made the LBs respect the pass and they have been left free to charge the backfield. Some screens and flat passes should help our overall game, especially with Searcy, Cottrell, and Marshall receiving and then running in the open field.

Dottie1145 · Aug 2, 2016

danny daniel said:
We have to dump the ball short in the flat some. The OLBs have to cover that area and that will keep them from blitzing in the middle so much. We have had some ABs wide open but we never seem to look that way. With the talent at AB this year I hope we get them the ball in space and let them run.

Defenses know we like to throw long to the WRs and to throw deep sideline routes to the ABs. These routes are covered by the Ss and CBs. We have not made the LBs respect the pass and they have been left free to charge the backfield. Some screens and flat passes should help our overall game, especially with Searcy, Cottrell, and Marshall receiving and then running in the open field.

Throw in a slant every now and then too

RamblinCharger · Aug 2, 2016

Does anyone know when fall camp starts? I've searched the board, but for some reason I couldn't find a specific date. Also, sorry for asking this here, I didn't know where to put my question... Never mind. There's a thread on it that started yesterday, I'm an idiot.

1BearJACKET · Aug 2, 2016

stech81 said:
One would hope he would pick 8 extra points in a blowout win.

I was hoping for the answer to be 8 extra points and 8 field goals.

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Highlights from Butker & Davis

Greater sense of urgency this year
Re: player's team
- Done a lot of stuff during offseason; meet once every couple weeks as a team; team-building exercises
- TFT: Team focus time
- Team meeting with chaplain and talk about team problems; everyone gets closer
- Individually in last team meeting we talked about what each person can do to maximize their contribution
- Bringing young guys up to speed
CPJ's message about low expectations from media
- We use it as motivation; coming into season as underdogs
- Try to focus on what we're doing and want to prove something this year
Changes to special teams (Butker)
- 4th season and 3rd different ST coach; coach Owens recruited me and is working with me
Butker's goals for this year
- Set % goals in the past, didn't work out too great
- Trying to just keep same mentality regardless of type of kick
- Feel most mature and comfortable than I've ever felt
Breakout players this year
- Davis: Dedrick Mills looks like a good player so far
Standouts on defense
- Davis: Everyone has been working hard; couple young guys look good - Glanton and Cerge
Motivation from sitting at home in December
- Butker: Weird not going; lot of close games we lost last year vs 2 years ago
Thoughts on Ireland
- Davis: Haven't read much; never been out of the country; very exciting for me
- Butker: Haven't thought about it; focused on the season; still should be fun and looking forward to it

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Highlights from Law Austin & Gamble

Final year (Gamble)
- Gamble: taking it day by day; enjoying every moment; learned from great players and been on great teams; ready to leave my mark
Role this year (Austin)
- Playing SS and FS in addition to nickle
New faces in secondary
- Austin: everyone working hard; bunch of guys who played a lot
Worked on in offseason
- Worked on hands and feet to translate to the field
ACC media days - "AJ Gray potential all-time great"
- Austin: natural baller; he finds the ball and the ball finds him; glad to play along with him
Focus on this year
- Gamble: just together as a team; lot of leaders
Looking back at last year - explanation
- Lot of injuries; young guys
DT position - Kyle/Brentavious
- Depth at position this year
Special Teams
- Austin: Keeping it similar; getting best players on the field
Coach Roof 4th year
- Gamble: Familiarity breads consistency; allows us to play fast
Breakout player for team
- Austin: AJ Gray
- Gamble: AJ Gray, every time I see him he makes a play on the ball, whether it's a fumble or INT; that's one thing we need
What you know about Ireland
- Austin: It's far away
- Gamble: Fish & chips
How often the FSU Kick-6 comes up
- Gamble: the guys always say "there's the hand"
- Austin: people mistake me for Lance sometimes, so I go along with it
Standouts on DL in offseason program
- Gamble: Kyle and Brentavious; Kyle knows a little about what's going on due to PT last year; Brentavious makes plays and plays with intensity
Francis' contribution
- Gamble: he has all the tools - size/athleticism; needs to put it together on Saturdays and believe in himself

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Highlights from Jeune & Willis

AB competition
- IW: working as a group to get better
WR competition
- RJ: freshmen are stepping up and making plays; during the offseason working with JT
RB expectations
- IW: pride ourselves on getting defenders to the ground, extending plays - "Block, run, have fun" is our motto
How important is improvement at AB and WR for JT
- RJ: JT plays better when he's comfortable with the guys around him
- IW: More he knows we'll be in the right spots he doesn't have to think as much
JJ Green
- IW: Big "rah rah" guy and speaks up a lot; tries to bring the energy and trash talk to keep the competition going
Freshmen WRs
- RJ: did extra during the offseason
Willis
- IW: Tried to follow in Godhigh's footsteps; tried to use football to make progress with internships at EY and Accenture; now in MBA program
AJ Gray
- RJ: He is a ballhawk; size helps him; excited to see him this year
Gantt
- IW: quick guy; doing work in the film room
Breakout player this year
- IW: Qua Searcy
- RJ: Justin Thomas... 2 years ago he had great numbers, think he can match that this year
JT
- IW: Been more vocal this year
- RJ: More vocal; very chill dude, speaking up lately and controlling the offense
Team-Building exercises
- IW: Mtgs once a month; talking with each other; making sure we're all on track academically and health wise as well; closer brotherhood

CuseJacket · Aug 6, 2016

Highlights from Burden & Thomas

Leadership role in light of last year
- JT: Not doing anything different; leading the team the same way
On OL this year vs. last year
- FB: I'm the only senior this year, almost the default leader, guys behind me have done well during the offseason and fall camp so far
On health this year
- FB: Feel better than ever; 100%; best I've felt going into any season
Klock/Bryan
- FB: They push me and are doing well/excellent; they've done things over the summer without complaints; always give 100%; they got comfortable in the offense; FB worked with C/G mostly; Trey would help lead the tackles; Will would work with guards
On 8 QBs
- FB: Ton of QBs... hand placement is different, a little rough at the beginning, getting used to it
On things within their control this year
- JT: Need to be better with decision making and being more aware; bonehead INTs and fumbles; need to be more careful with the ball
Returning guys from injury
- JT: guys flying around, lot more confidence, even new guys who sat out and didn't get to play, everyone more fluent
On working together for 3 years
- Both: easier, almost 2nd nature; less thinking and more confidence; JT: notice a difference when FB is not in the game
On dealing with off field circumstances
- FB: it's been better not worrying about it; lack of sleep last year; talk with my brother and mom to keep me straight; know dad is watching and wishing me well
On being leader
- JT: at this point if I need to say something about last year, it's too late; this is a new season, we've all come together closer; lot of guys understand expectations
AJ Gray
- JT: I don't pay attention to the defense, I just see jersey colors so all guys look the same, think he'll be a good player
On starting in Ireland w/ conference game
- JT: it'll be different, been 4-5 years since starting with a game like this, need to start fast and can't afford to get behind
- FB: trying to look at it as making up for the lack of bowl game
Confidence in guy coming back and new guys
- JT: first 3 practices, vibe is a lot different; guys are more vocal; no second-guessing so far
On depth on OL
- FB: Brad Morgan has done a good job and will get a chance to play; Stickler has surprised some people the first couple of days and has stood out
What you know about Ireland
- FB: Lot of sheep
- JT: Not much, I'll figure it out when I get there
Breakout player this year
- FB: Marcus Marshall
- JT: Lot of guys to have a break out year - AB, BB, OL; everybody's got a chance
On working with MM, DM, MA all spring vs. injuries last year
- JT: All those reps in the spring, summer, and camp with the same guys let's you get to know the person and how they play the game; it's a lot better
TaQuon Marshall
- JT: He's a great player and shifty; this fall camp he needs to make sure he knows the offense more and the checks; different than being an AB playing QB
Brad Stewart's hair
- FB: think he took it out; good way to start camp; took heat
- JT: thought it was cool; wanted to see how long it would stay

GTNavyNuke · Aug 6, 2016

Thanks for the great summary Cuse. Can't wait to see what we have this year. The quotes are similar to past years, not much else they can say. But dropping body fat sounds like a revelation. I will say that the football players look like football players now. I've been struck over the years watching our team in street clothes about how well they blend into the general population. No more.

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