Travis Custis and Jonathan Dwyer

ATL1

ATL1

Helluva Engineer
Messages
7,377
Custis has worked real hard over the summer, I'm not sure about his speed but he is listed as running a 4.47 so that's faster than Dwyer. Anyway this kid wins the getting off the bus award

http://www.southernpigskin.com/sec/the-next-freshman-heisman-winner/

Georgia Tech B-back Travis Custis

The prized recruit in Paul Johnson’s 2013 class, Custis sat out this past season while clearing up some academic issues with the NCAA. Prior to running into the academic situation, Custis had generated a huge buzz in Atlanta during individual summer workout sessions. Having worked out four days a week with a personal trainer, Custis is now in the best shape of his life, and will likely push veteran Zach Laskey for the starting job in 2014. Given the Yellow Jackets’ inexperience at the quarterback position, Johnson could look to increase the production from the B-back spot next fall. If that is the case, look for Custis to put up huge numbers, as he looks to be the most physically talented Georgia Tech B-back since Jon Dwyer.
 

nodawgs

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
366
Dwyer was a track guy, and got down as low as 4.37 at one point. Custis has a great burst, but not sustained speed. What set Dwyer apart was that he had great form at top speed. Most rb's can't hold their form at top speed. Custis seemed to break down at 20 yds when I saw him, much like Choice did. Rb's can be plenty successful with the tools that Custis has. Just wouldn't compare him to Dwyer.
 

DSGB

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
154
We won't have another Dwyer. He put on too much weight but he still moved well for his size.
 
daBuzz

daBuzz

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
965
Hopefully, he has good hands and can catch the ball on the wheel route out of the backfield. Because most of the big 4 we struggle with tend to play the strategy of stopping the dive on the interior and forcing the QB to take the ball wide. So the B back is essentially taken out of the game unless we do something else besides the TO.
 

croberts

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
876
nodawgs said:
Dwyer was a track guy, and got down as low as 4.37 at one point. Custis has a great burst, but not sustained speed. What set Dwyer apart was that he had great form at top speed. Most rb's can't hold their form at top speed. Custis seemed to break down at 20 yds when I saw him, much like Choice did. Rb's can be plenty successful with the tools that Custis has. Just wouldn't compare him to Dwyer.
Click to expand...
Strange how someone can run a 4.37 but slows to a 4.59 when all the marbles are on the table at the nfl combine. Slower than the 4.54 run by Choice in 2008. The 4.37 that
he ran at some point would have placed 1st with Spillers and Jahvid Best of Cal and moved him up about 20 spots in the rbs in the 2010 combine. Should he ever recover that magic, we should all pick him on our fantasy football team. Dwyer is the best back that has played here for PJ Period! The problem is he is not the best back that has played for Paul in his system, and the current backs are similar to those at Navy and Southern. I am talking about B backs only. I hope we will all agree after a few years that that trend changed starting with Mr. Custus.
 
Boomergump

Boomergump

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
3,284
I don't buy the 4.3 something 40 out of Dwyer. Was it hand timed? In any case, nobody ever caught Dwyer that I can remember. Personally, I just think he had really good running form and he was one of those guys who was just as fast with pads on, carrying a football in one arm, as he was on the track. They are rare, but they do exist. If you can run 4.6 with pads on carrying the rock, you are pretty darned game fast. Which leads me to the question, what are the most important attributes of a BB in the offense? Is break away speed at the top of the list? I dare say not. Personally, I would rather have a 4.8 running, 260 pound bucking bronco who never fumbles the football at BB over a track star. Speed is great to have and I love it, but it ain't the only thing, just ask Snoddy. The position itself is versatile. Guys like Teach, Ballard, and Eckel, and I forget the others (sorry) at NAVY were all pretty darned effective for their offense too.

I haven't seen a lot of Custis, in fact, nothing beyond his HS tape. My gut feel is that he is going to combine a lot of positive qualities to be an effective player, without any one DOMINANT trait. He won't be 260 pounds and he won't be as fast as Adrian Peterson, but he will generally be hard to get off his feet and he will run with good vision and cutting ability. He will be fast enough to extend some runs that haven't been extended the last couple of years. I have no idea if he blocks or catches.
 

bke1984

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,609
Jerry the Jacket said:
I know it is fun to project how these guys are going to do and I am as optimistic as the next guy but, why don't we let the young man come in and show us what he can do? He might be a great one and then again he might be a bust. Usually the truth lies in the middle. Dwyer was a good player but he was not a great player. He is the best we have had during the Johnson era but we really have not had a great running back since Robert Lavette.

Go Jackets!
Click to expand...

Yeah, we need to be careful not to build up expectations like we did with Vad...

I disagree though...Dwyer was a GREAT player for Tech. He didn't turn out to be great in the NFL (at least yet), but his impact at Tech was HUGE
 

gtg936g

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,142
I honestly think Anthony Allen is going to be closer to Custis than JD. AA was great at getting low and moving the pile.

For the B Back give me someone that has great ball security, and can have a good powerful burst through the hole. JD was benefitted by having good lanes to run through. AA was good at getting through the hole low with a quick burst. The home run at B Back for me would be a guy that can get 3+ yards after contact when being tackled 1 on 1.


The numbers game still applies to the dive. If the D has to get two hats on the B Back to prevent him from getting 3 yards a carry, then that will open up the edge for the pitch and rocket toss. A good B Back will cause the D to cheat the gaps to stop the dive leading to a numbers advantage on the edge even on a simple toss.
 

nodawgs

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
366
Rodney Kent said:
Dwyer was a great back in High School. Custis was a great back in High School. Dwyer was a great back in College. Custis to be determined.
Click to expand...

Dwyer's track coach was quoted on Prep Sports Plus as saying he ran a 4.37. That was when he was much lighter, before being on a college lifting program, and before he put on the bad weight as well.
 
Techster

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,397
Jerry the Jacket said:
I know it is fun to project how these guys are going to do and I am as optimistic as the next guy but, why don't we let the young man come in and show us what he can do? He might be a great one and then again he might be a bust. Usually the truth lies in the middle. Dwyer was a good player but he was not a great player. He is the best we have had during the Johnson era but we really have not had a great running back since Robert Lavette.

Go Jackets!
Click to expand...

Huh?

Dwyer ran for 1300+ two seasons in a row. Was ACC Offensive POY and Overall ACC POY in 2008, 2 Time first team All-ACC, All American according to several media publications.

2007: Tashard Choice 1,379 yards (1st Team All-ACC), Led ACC in rushing
2006: Tashard Choice 1,473 yards (2nd Team All-ACC), Led ACC in rushing
2003: PJ Daniels 1,447 yards (1st team All-ACC), Led ACC in rushing

Those guys may not have turned out to be all that great in the NFL, but their credentials make them great college running backs. Dwyer is one of the most decorated RBs in GT history.
 
Techster

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,397
Dwyer had great speed in the open field, he just had another gear. I thought he had great vision as well past the LOS...just look at his highlights against UGA as an example.

Dwyer was 2nd in the state in the 100 meter in the largest classification.

Let's not take away from what Dwyer did while at GT because some of you disagree with his views on the current staff after he left the school. The guy certainly should handle it better, but it doesn't mean he wasn't a pretty accomplished player here.
 

Eric

Retired Co-Founder
Messages
12,734
Techster said:
Dwyer had great speed in the open field, he just had another gear. I thought he had great vision as well past the LOS...just look at his highlights against UGA as an example.

Dwyer was 2nd in the state in the 100 meter in the largest classification.

Let's not take away from what Dwyer did while at GT because some of you disagree with his views on the current staff after he left the school. The guy certainly should handle it better, but it doesn't mean he wasn't a pretty accomplished player here.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this..while I am not a fan of Dwyer off the field...what he done for us on the field was pretty special.
 

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,150
I thin we need to wait on Custis and take some of the pressure off. He's got plenty to learn since he hasn't even practiced, let alone played, in our O. That and that he is also talented is why I think Laskey starts and - I hope - has a big year. Looking at Custis's high school films makes me think more of Allen then Dwyer.

However, if he could get one of Dwyer's greatest traits down he would be a much better back almost at once. Dwyer was never as fast as people said, but he knew how to do one thing very, very well: he knew how to quit juking and run straight down field at his top speed. Some of our backs drive me crazy with their constant attempts to get to the sideline or juke people at the 2nd level. Dwyer was like Daniels in that he got his shoulders square and took off. If someone was in the way, don't juke, run over him. (Luckily, he didn't actively look for people to run over like PJ did!) I loved that: don't look back, don't look around, look for the goal line, and always remember that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. That was Dwyer all over.

As for our BBs: well, you've all heard me: I want another Kyle Eckel. I thought we had one in Drummond, but it was not to be. Too bad Coach gave him to Groh, however; I think his career could have been much more productive at BB. He could have been another (he's who you couldn't remember, Boomer) Eric Ketani. However, I'll take what we've got and be pleased with it. I think this position is in pretty good shape.
 

augustabuzz

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,412
croberts said:
Strange how someone can run a 4.37 but slows to a 4.59 when all the marbles are on the table at the nfl combine. Slower than the 4.54 run by Choice in 2008. The 4.37 that
he ran at some point would have placed 1st with Spillers and Jahvid Best of Cal and moved him up about 20 spots in the rbs in the 2010 combine. Should he ever recover that magic, we should all pick him on our fantasy football team. Dwyer is the best back that has played here for PJ Period! The problem is he is not the best back that has played for Paul in his system, and the current backs are similar to those at Navy and Southern. I am talking about B backs only. I hope we will all agree after a few years that that trend changed starting with Mr. Custus.
Click to expand...

Spiller's 4.37 was made while he was still feeling the effects of turf toe. Dwyer's 4.37 was made when he still weighed 195#. The 4.59 was timed when he weighed considerably more than 195.
 

croberts

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
876
nodawgs said:
Dwyer's track coach was quoted on Prep Sports Plus as saying he ran a 4.37. That was when he was much lighter, before being on a college lifting program, and before he put on the bad weight as well.
Click to expand...
The poor guy should not have opened his mouth! Problem is, 4.37 should reflect a 10.50- 10.60 100 meter time for a runner like Dwyer who did not reach top speed until around the 60 yard mark. His 100 meter time of 10.82 places question on the 4.37 ever happening. How many times have you been around a coach that said I will start the clock on you? It may not sound like I liked John from my comments but I did. I loved the guy . I do believe that his ability to finish long runs had to do with his speed. I also believe that it had to do with the placement of safties in the box which often would take the angle away from the defenders. I wont say anymore about Custus as others would like to hold off until he signs his NFL contract. HaHa
 
Top