Addressing the Vad Lee situation

[MGTfan]

Not trying to be argumentative, but if Justin was so much better at running the base offense than Vad, why wasn't he starting this year? Or at least playing more?

Ball control issues. CPJ has said that is JT's biggest problem. Hopefully he fixes that in the spring.

 

[Nook Su Kow]

Vad told Coach Johnson on New Years eve sometime by around noon because I knew by 1:15. Coach Johnson was ambivalent as he accepted the news and commented to several people that it really didn't matter because Vad didn't fit his system anyway.

Since that point, I found out that they told Matthew Jordan when he came on his official visit to be ready because they expect him not to redshirt now but to potentially get some backup time and that the coaches have had some indication this might be coming. Vad's high school coach and his family have been in his ear quite a bit about the move all year long. His family just want him to be happy but his HS coach encouraged him to go to a school that passes the ball more.

Vad felt mislead because CPJ had told him that, once he had a passing QB, the offense would be opened up to the pass more and wouldn't be so run heavy. As a matter of fact, if you can find the video of an interview with Vad after an allstar game following his HS senior year, he commented to this effect. At the time, he was verbally committed to Tech but hadn't signed a LOI. But when the question was posed about a passing QB going to a running offense, he commented, "Coach Johnson has told me they've just been waiting for a passing QB so they can open up the passing game and throw more" or WTTE.

I don't blame Vad for leaving. If he thinks he has a legitimate shot at playing QB in the NFL, he won't get an opportunity to do that if he stays in this offense...like it or not, but a QB from this offense is not going to get serious attention at the QB spot by an NFL team. The NFL has become a passing league and a team that averages 12 passes per game isn't going to give them enough footage for them to see him throw the entire route tree.

However, I am very disappointed that CPJ knew this was a possibility and still didn't get more PT for Justin. At the very least, he knew for the bowl game that this was a possibility but I'm told he knew as far back as mid-season that it was possible. If you want your program to be successful long term, you have to get more of the valuable snaps for your future guy. We didn't do that.

Wasn't Travis Custis told same thing by coaches? Planned on using some formations from San Francisco and Washington's playbooks. Lets hope he doesn't transfer in 3 years as well haha

 

[southernhive]

Ball control issues. CPJ has said that is JT's biggest problem. Hopefully he fixes that in the spring.

Part of the ball control issues is he tends to panic and pitch or panic and pass. I don't think the game has slowed down for him yet.

 

[John]

John: I believe his completion rate would have been much better if he was in a system where he passed more. It is a fact that you get better at the things you do consistently. If you are in a system that passes as much as running, you are building up consistency with the receivers. You learn them and they learn you and the passes come easier. When you just use an occasional pass, it is somewhat foreign to your method of operaton and is never as smooth as it is in a passisng system.

But would it have guaranteed us more wins?

Take a look at Duke. Cutcliffe has been running a 5-WR pass-happy spread offense with both Thad Lewis and Sean Renfree from 2008 through 2012. In fact, in 2012 their WR set an ACC record for most career reception yards. Passing more didn't give Duke more wins. In fact, when Duke started running more, they won 10 games.

I realize it's very easy for us to become envious of other teams that are having success but realistically if scheme was the only thing that determined W-L record then everyone would be running what Alabama has been running since clearly they've had the best W-L record in the past 4-5 years.

 

[daBuzz]

Two things I have learned from reading these posts:
1. CPJ is a liar since he supposedly lied to Vad about passing more, which he did pass more.
2. CPJ really wants to lose, which is why he refuses to pass.

So you really think going from an average of 12.9 to 15.4 passes per game is a definition of "passing the ball more"?

LOL, ok then.

 

[John]

So you really think going from an average of 12.9 to 15.4 is a definition of "passing the ball more"?

LOL, ok then.

I would be shocked if CPJ told Vad that we would transition into a 5-WR passing spread team. Need to be careful not to twist people's words especially if such words are from secondary or even worse tertiary sources.

 

[OldJacketFan]

Two things I have learned from reading these posts:
1. CPJ is a liar since he supposedly lied to Vad about passing more, which he did pass more.
2. CPJ really wants to lose, which is why he refuses to pass.

I love this post, thanks for livening things up a bit!

 

[KlausMikaelsonTheOriginal]

I would be shocked if CPJ told Vad that we would transition into a 5-WR passing spread team. Need to be careful not to twist people's words especially if such words are from secondary or even worse tertiary sources.

Back during his Recruitment, CPJ did tell VL STTE that at Hawaii we threw the ball 25 times per game.

He might have mislead VL during his Recruitment.

 

[Ben Jones]

PJ giving us fans a lot to be excited about! What will this do for recruiting in the future for Pauly?

 

[John]

Back during his Recruitment, CPJ did tell VL STTE that at Hawaii we threw the ball 25 times per game.

He might have mislead VL during his Recruitment.

If this was true then I don't see why Vad would transfer now, after three years of practicing under center.

Maybe you can do me a favor and find your source for this information.

Perhaps @Eric can clarify because I know he was following Vad's recruitment very closely.

 

[Squints]

Let's just say our players have an entirely more positive outlook about this than some of our fans.

Not surprising at all. Georgia Tech fans, particularly the ones who post on message boards, are some of the most self-loathing, whiny, find a negative spin to anything fans I've ever seen.

 

[ramblinvak]

CPJ may be a lot of things, but I dont belive he is a liar on the recruiting trail. I think it is his honesty on the recruiting trail that has probably hurt us more than helped. If he told Vad he wanted to pass more he probably meant it. How much more passing he was referring can be semantics at this point. But once again, if our O-line can pass block the air to save their lives, there is only so much passing you can do to be successful.

 

[GTrob21]

In Johnson we trust... to take us to 7-6!

 

[southernhive]

So you really think going from an average of 12.9 to 15.4 passes per game is a definition of "passing the ball more"?

LOL, ok then.

Point is, CPJ is willing to pass more and I realize the attempts are only slightly higher, but it is not working. If it was working, Vad would be passing more.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Ball control issues. CPJ has said that is JT's biggest problem. Hopefully he fixes that in the spring.

He is small, and I cannot see how he lasts through a few games against BCS opponents at QB, set aside a season.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

If this was true then I don't see why Vad would transfer now, after three years of practicing under center.

Maybe you can do me a favor and find your source for this information.

Perhaps @Eric can clarify because I know he was following Vad's recruitment very closely.

It is reported by Joe Schad with this quote:

If this was true then I don't see why Vad would transfer now, after three years of practicing under center.

Maybe you can do me a favor and find your source for this information.

Perhaps @Eric can clarify because I know he was following Vad's recruitment very closely.

Joe Schad ‏@schadjoe38m
GT QB Vad Lee said he will transfer. "The triple option was never really my thing," Lee said.

 

[John]

It is reported by Joe Schad with this quote:



Joe Schad ‏@schadjoe38m
GT QB Vad Lee said he will transfer. "The triple option was never really my thing," Lee said.

The context in question is that CPJ promised Vad that we'd turn into a pass oriented team.

I'm not disagreeing that Vad didn't like the offense.

 

[ATL1]

Well its been quoted by several recruits that CPJ advised them he was opening up the offense. Now I don't know if he gave them any other specific info but that was the word from:
Vad
Custis
Juene
Ect

 

[southernhive]

CPJ may be a lot of things, but I dont belive he is a liar on the recruiting trail. I think it is his honesty on the recruiting trail that has probably hurt us more than helped. If he told Vad he wanted to pass more he probably meant it. How much more passing he was referring can be semantics at this point. But once again, if our O-line can pass block the air to save their lives, there is only so much passing you can do to be successful.

Exactly Right!

 

[Frenchise]

I'm just sad about this. If the new guys can make a difference on the O-line next year, and I think Shamire will, he could have had a lot more passing opportunities and enjoy running the ball more. That said, his plant-juke move was so bad it didn't look like he should have ever ran the ball. Just sad when we could have some good pass protection next year.