Chan Gailey Call-in Show

Once again, here is my best paraphrased version of the Chan Gailey Call-in Show:

WES: Last week was a good statement game wouldn't you say.
CG: As soon as you said that, I realized I haven't even thought about that game since it was over. We have been totally focused on this week (a little tongue-in-cheek comment).

WES: As good as Miami's defense is, Virginia has a darn good defense
CG: The offensive line gets the press, but their defensive front 7 are as strong as any we have faced all year. (Then he and Wes talked about the strength of the LB, etc).

WES: They use a 3-4 formation, something that A.Groh has stuck to and it has taken time.
CG: They have recruited well to that scheme, with giant noseman, etc. The 3-4 is different from the 3-3 in that you get all the variations of the 4-man front with the unique options in the 3-man as well. The blocking scheme's in this formation is critical (I was a little fuzzy on this one).

WES: Reggie Ball had one of his better games against UConn.
CG: I thought Reggie had his best game in terms of game management. He didn't have any turnovers, he didn't have to call any timeouts due to misreading of plays, or lining us up in the wrong formation. He had a nice game.

WES: Heath Miller is one of the best tight ends in the nation, if not the best. He is their #1 receiver.
CG: Their O-Line, RB's and TE's are their strengths, and they are very good at getting the ball to their strengths. They use things like QB bootlegs and it really presents challenges. And you better know where Miller is at all times.

CALLER: The tight ends in both our next two games have really come on strong. Do you see similarities. And 2nd, in terms of recruiting, is it your philosophy to recruit guys on the D-line and move them to the O-Line if needed?
CG: First, I only focus on the next game, so all I know is that the TE we are facing this week is a good one and we need to be prepared. Second, in terms of recruiting, we will always recruit defense bigtime. If you play good D, you can stay in every game, so that will always be our focus. Now every year we will recruit at least 3 O-Lineman, usually a center every other year. And yes, we have moved guys from D-Line to O-Line. AJ Smith has moved from Defensive End to Offensive Tackle and he will be a "giant of a man" before it is all over. (he then went on to go through other players - didn't get it all). So the philosophy is keep the D strong and if a player looks like he might not be right on the D we might move him to the other side of the ball.

CALLER: Will PJ Daniels be back? Also, how do you determine who returns punts?
CG: PJ is still not 100%. If he does play he will not start.
WES: After missing this much action, is conditioning a concern?
CG: Well, yes, you worry about that. Even if he is ready to play for UGA, he will not start. We will need to ease him back into game reps.
WES: Now what about punt returns. Do you pick with a coin toss? (laughing)
CG: Well, believe it or not, we are a little more scientific than that. Patrick Carter does a nice job, but he has only just started catching punts. In fact he wasn't even catching them in practice until recently. Logan has been catching them in practice for 2 years. So, if it looks like we will catch a punt around the 10 yard line, Logan will be back. If it looks like we are outside of the 10, then Carter will do the returning. If Carter can get a chance to turn it on then he will be special. But I tell you, I am VERY excited about his development as a wideout. He has a chance to really do some things.

CALLER: Last week you talked about L.Newberry. Would you ever consider moving him to the O-Line? Second, who is the strongest player on the team?
CG: You just mentioned him. Newberry. He was a state finalist in weight lifting. In fact our strength coaches have asked me if we have real plans for him in the future because they could see him as an Olympic weight lifter. He's that good. Of course the problem is that he has never gotten back his 1st step quickness since his knee injury. When he got here he gained so much weight thinking he needed to be big, then he hurt the knee. Now the weight is back off, but the 1st step quickness isn't back yet.

WES: Reshaun Grant mentioned he was sore after last week's game. How is he?
CG: To be perfectly honest with you, I think Reshaun walked into the UConn game tired. He took every rep this week, but he is not used to practicing as a first teamer. We have had to "encourage" him (much laughter) to push himself, like when he breaks a run in practice and we have to tell him to run it all the way. I think he is finally getting to the point where he is being pushed into REAL game shape for the first time.
WES: Grant has really gone from under-used to over-used.
CG: You're right. To be where he is, you really have to get your mind and body ready.
WES: And he's a good receiver too.
CG: He can be special. We put some special plays in last week just for him but at times he tried to bang through the line. When he learns how to find the crease, he'll elevate his game.

WES: Against Virginia, our TE's and RB's will have to play a big role
CG: They double up the WR's, so you have to get play from the TE's and RB's to move the football.

CALLER: Coach, you're doing a great job and I'm glad to have you at GT, and I'm tired of all the bad-mouthing of you on the internet (yes he said this). My question is - have you thought about using devices to muffle out crowd noise in the headgear?
CG: We tried it - when I was in the NFL.
WES: Did it work?
CG: Do you see them using them now? No. The problem is that it muffles too much sound out. You can still hear the sharp sounds, but it is hard to distinguish who's voice it is. So you don't always know if it is the QB or the opposing LB shouting out plays. You have to be able to tell the difference.

WES: The O-Line won't get enough credit for what they've done this year. They have been a very flexible group, adapting to needs and adversity.
CG: And they have faced many different things throughout the year. You know, NCST was the best defense in the conference against the run, and nobody talked much about the fact that we had almost 200 yards rushing against them. And of course our TE's and FB's play a role in that success as well.

WES: Tonight Maryland and VaTech match-up. That should be quite an interesting game.
CG: "I doubt it" (much much laughter).
WES: I won't say anything else about that.

WES: Wake Forest is a good team
CG: They could easily be 7-2. They are a very good team that just hasn't won many games.

WES: Duke best Clemson on a 53-yard field goal.
CG: Don't go to Durham late in the season

WES: Let's talk about recruiting visits. Every game you have many recruits there and these visits are critical to your success. The atmosphere is important. Don't you meet with the recruits before the games? That's a big deal for the head coach to do that before a game.
CG: About 1.5 hours before the game I speak to them. And let me tell you, the atmosphere around the game is critical to recruiting, just like to great atmosphere we had last Saturday. Every week we have anywhere from 50-100 high school players at the game and usually about 30% of them are underclassman. So we are building a base of positive experiences with these kids. WHAT THEY SEE IS WHAT THEY WILL REMEMBER.
WES: Are most of these kids from the state?
CG: About 80% are usually from Georgia and then we get some from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina. And our coaching clinics and summer camps are always well attended.

CALLER: The last few years we have not fared well against UGA. Talk about motivation and the importance of that in the game
CG: On gameday motivation is never an issue. When you are 10 minutes before gametime, everyone is motivated. What is important is practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Those are the days when you want motivation to play a role. That is where proper motivation can lead to good habits. Good habits during the week have a better chance of showing up on gameday. So any form of motivation we can use to get these guys mentally and physically prepared during the week we will use. Whatever it is - a kid's mother watching the game on TV, whatever. We will use it.

WES: I don't think I'm giving anything away here, but after practice you talk to the team about the "mental edge".
CG: We need these guys to be mentally prepared to play. We tell them during practice - "play the game RIGHT HERE". Get your mind right. If you can do it here, there is a good chance you can do it Saturday.

WES: Keys to the game. (misc stuff discussed).
CG: Make sure when watching to pay attention to Andy-Tidwell Neal and his battle with UVA's talented guy (couldn't remember the name). There will be a real "game within the game" there.