What's Buzzin - July 19

A few quick hits from Jacket nation

WEST VIRGINIA TIRED OF CJ
On their defense:

Allen said all of the WV defensive players got tired seeing themselves on ESPN giving up a lot of yards to opponents during the National Football League draft. For example, Calvin Johnson, a top pick, caught nine passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns against WVU.

“Just seeing those highlights over and over again got really old,” he admitted. “We don’t want that to happen again.”

FOOTBALL SNEAK PEAK
A UVA site gives a GT preview
Here's a Notre Dame site previewing GT
One of the most in-depth GT previews by SundayMorningQB.

NFL FANS BRACING FOR THE CALVIN IMPACT
This long story on the "Get ready for the CJ Blast-off"
By the way, there is a very good chance CJ won't be reporting on day one of pre-season because he's not likely to have a contract signed. Talks are dragging out evidently, and the fact that a contract for Jamarcus Russell is also dragging make things worse. In addition, the Raiders start camp a few days after the Lions, so if CJ's agent waits until a deal is done with Russell to "set" the market, then CJ is going to miss the start. We all know he won't like that, but he's got to "play the game".

PREPPING FOR THE IRISH
ESPN has I believe a free preview of the Blue Ribbon Notre Dame write-up. Check it out.

JAVARIS CRITTENTON GETS A SHOE DEAL
JC signs with Adidas.

FOOTBALL FINAL FOUR?
Folks, it's coming. It's not "if" but "when".

JAMES BUTLER REPRESENTING
Will speak to youth locally

WROTTO IN THE ATL
In case you didn't know, Mansfield Wrotto, after inking his new deal with the Seahawks, has been working out at GT and helping coaches with the recent football camps.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS .....
....David Duval, or so Golf World asks.

"For however many years, no one liked him; now everyone's pulling for him," says Puggy Blackmon, Duval's college coach at Georgia Tech and one of his closest friends. Blackmon's exaggeration is but a slight one. The longer Duval has struggled, the more popular he has become, which qualifies him as a tragic hero at this stage of his career. It is hard to imagine any sunken superstar continuing his search on such a public platform, with less ego or more tight-lipped dignity, a perseverance for which the man has been justly rewarded.

CALVIN BOOKER TABBED 2ND STRING
The AJC reported that Calvin Booker enters day 1 of fall ball as the #2 guy behind Taylor Bennett........ as expected.


LLLLLUUUUUKKKKKEEEEEE
Still toting a posse and still fighting the good fight. After summer league with the T-Wolves, Luke Schenscher heads down under.

"I got on a plane in Adelaide to play for Sacramento and when I got off the plane (in Las Vegas) my agent said I'd be playing for Minnesota," Schenscher said. "I felt it went really well. We had a training camp at the start."

That helped Schenscher settle into the team and he opened in the 'Wolves first game, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting with eight rebounds in 30 minutes.

"For some reason, I only played eight minutes in the second game," he said.

"But really it doesn't matter how many minutes you play. That's the type of situation I'll be in if I make it (into the NBA). I won't be playing 30 minutes a game."

TOP NBA PLAYERS UNDER 25
Interesting list and detailed stuff on the top 5, including our own Chris Bosh. By the way, check out that pic of Dwight Howard "kissing" the rim. Sick. Just sick.

What's Buzzin'

Some random hits from the world of GT:

HOOPS
You knew that Kenny Anderson had been named the head coach of the new ATL Krunk, a CBA team. Did you know that Stephon Marbury's company will be providing all the gear for the team?

Marbury, who earned the nickname "Starbury" as a playground legend in Coney Island, spoke about his kinship with fellow NYC point guard and Georgia Tech alum Kenny Anderson, and what the sponsorship deal means for his Starbury brand. Stephon: "It's a blessing to be part of something that is about to become something big... I am proud of Kenny as he makes his pro coaching debut. He and I share a bond that goes deeper than the Tech connection, and being point guards from New York City."

Added newly named Head Coach Kenny Anderson, "I am humbled by all the love and support that has been pouring in from around the country since the announcement of my hiring. For Steph to do this for our organization, and for me, is huge. Me and my assistants, Vince Smith, and Lamont Moreno, plan to instill the same pride and determination in every player that dons that uniform, that Stephon has shown throughout his entire life.

Luke Schenscher is on the Minnesota T-Wolves summer league roster. Here are his stats (5.4ppg / 5.4 rpg). Still fighting the good fight to make an NBA roster.

Both Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young have signed their first NBA contracts. Both kids have impressed their respective coaches and players with their hustle, attitude, work ethic and aptitude. Both continue to say nice things about their one season at GT, which only helps with prospective recruits. Seems like Laker fans are starting to think Javaris was the steal of the draft. He has had an excellent offensive summer, although he did have a goose egg one game.

"I wasn't very aggressive in college, and I realized this is a grown man's game and I have to be aggressive at all times and stay focused," Thaddues Young said. "That is what I've been doing - staying focused and getting comfortable within the flow of the offense and defense."

Jarrett Jack has been told by Blazer management that they do not intend to trade him and that he was NOT involved in trade rumors. Having said that, they just signed Steve Blake, so the competition to feed Oden and Aldridge is going to be strong. Jack has become his head coach's whipping boy it appears, as he goes through cycles to being tough on him and his play.

Mario West has been invited to try out for the Hawks, although the odds of making the team are slim to none. As you also know, he was "drafted" by the Harlem Globetrotters. Brings new meaning to "Sweet Georgia Brown".


FOOTBALL
Reggie Ball is still trying to make the Detroit Lions roster as a WR. Don't see it happening, but certainly wish him the best of luck. You know, I feel a little bad for Reggie. He leaves as a 4 year starter with a very small amount of support and allegiance. Some of that was due to his lack of development as a player and the resulting fan frustration. Some of it was due to his general mouthiness on the field, which turned some fans off. Some of it was due to becoming academically ineligible as a senior, letting down his mates and missing the bowl game. Yes, it allowed Bennett to shine, but it also sent a negative signal about an outgoing senior's committment to success and education. All-in-all, Reggie is a good guy and I wish him the best.

So Steven Threet did not leave for a girlfriend, did not leave because of competition, did not leave because of homesickness. He says he left because of the departure of Patrick Nix and Geoff Collins. While I certainly understand the logic that the two guys who recruited you are gone, I don't buy it as 100% of the story. The fact that his local team and parental favorite, Michigan, never offered him a scholly out of high school, but that one became magically available after the transfer of one of their QB's, is no coincidence. My personal feeling is that if Michigan still had no room for Threet, then he is still a Jacket. Sorry, but I do not believe for a second that he decided to transfer THEN started looking around at where to go. Don't buy it for a second. He knew there was a slot available at Michigan and I'm willing to bet there were some contacts determining if that slot could ultimately go to him - prior to withdrawing from Tech. Just too good to be true............................ Having said all that, it doesn't really matter. He's gone and Tech will be fine with the stable of guys we have and the prospects we have to develop like Nesbitt and Renfree.

Speaking of Nesbitt, he is one of the players garnering player raves over the summer. He's a workout freak and has evidently done well in some of the informal drills. Having said that, I re-watched some of his high school film. While the playmaking ability is impressive, I have to say I am not all that impressed with his arm motion or mechanics. However, I am no QB coach so we will just have to see how this translates to the field........ one day. Here's an old but good article on Nesbitt. It will be interesting, because of course most schools wanted him as a DB or LB, not a QB. Sound familiar? Maybe, maybe not. Coach Gailey has talked about using him in a "Tim Tebow" role for the Jackets.

How good is QB Sean Renfree? From the AJC:

How good is Sean Renfree, the Scottsdale, Ariz., player who committed to Georgia Tech after being recruited by Curtis Modkins? "I've seen from Danny White all the way on, and Sean's the best quarterback to come out of the state of Arizona," Notre Dame Prep coach Scot Bemis said, adding that Renfree's decision-making is off the charts. Renfree threw 25 touchdown passes and five interceptions as a junior, Bemis said, and three of those five interceptions deflected off receivers and should have been caught. "He's way ahead of the game mentally," Bemis said. "He's the youngest kid in our senior class. He's only 16 right now." Bemis has experience coaching talented players; he coached Tank Johnson and John Tait, who went on to play for the Chicago Bears, Kenny Wheaton (Dallas Cowboys and Toronto Argonauts) and Jason Kyle (13 NFL seasons). "As a football player, you've got a great one," Bemis said, "and as a person you've got a better one."

Meanwhile, he's been helping recruit other players to the most recent class:

"When I committed to Georgia Tech, I also committed to doing whatever I could to do to help out the team as much as possible," Renfree said. "I want to be around the best players possible, so it was important for me to be there to meet the other players we are recruiting and tell them all the great things about Georgia Tech. I really thought everything went well."

Keith Brooking and Bobby Ross have been inducted into the GT Sports Hall-of-Fame. Congrats!

Here's an interesting story about Matt Rhodes' mom, a high school softball coach, who is taking a new job so she can watch her son's senior football games this season.

“She was offered the position at North Shore, where she will do nothing but softball,” Angleton athletics director Finis Vanover said. “She kept looking at the offer and we met and finally said she had to try it. With her daughter graduating, she now will have an opportunity to go see Matt (Rhodes) at Georgia Tech every week.

BEESBALL
Speaking of parents, how about Matt Wieters' dad:

--Richard Wieters. He is currently best known as the father of Matt Wieters, the former Stratford High School and Georgia Tech star last month selected in the first round of the Major League draft by the Baltimore Orioles. But Richard Wieters, as a Citadel pitcher and slugger was a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year. If you can argue that he was the best player a traditionally good college program has ever produced, he is a Charleston Baseball Hall of Famer.

The Braves still have some reported interested in Mark Teixeira and Mark has some very reported interest in his hometown Orioles. In fact, he shares agent Scott Boros with Matt Wieters and has high hopes that the Orioles will ink Wieters to a deal and that in less than two years he can join him there.

The Notre Dame Fighting Patriots

Notre Dame has a new defensive coordinator for their opener against GT. Corwin Brown was a defensive back for Bill Parcells back in the mid-90's. He was a fair to middlin' defensive back, but has gone on to be a secondary coach for Parcells, Belichick and Mangini. Like all coaches from the Parcells tree, his defense plays a 3-4, which is very uncommon in major college football.

The 3-4 D has the following characteristics:

- There are 3 defensive lineman (DL) and 4 linebackers (LBs).
- The primary function of the DL is to protect the LBs and play the run. Each defensive lineman is responsible for 2 gaps.
- The pass rush is generated by the 3-4 OLBs. On almost every play, 1 of the OLBs will rush the QB. The OLBs are standing up.

Negatives of a 3-4 defense:

1. How will Tashard Choice gain his yards? Right over the center. What the defense gains in quickness and deception, it gives up in weight. If the NT can not hold his ground, the defense is very vulnerable to runs between the tackles.
2. If the 3-4 OLBs are unable to consistently apply pressure on the QB, the D is very vulnerable in the passing game. The aggressiveness up front puts tremendous pressure on the secondary. No matter how disruptive the front seven are, the corners and safeties have to do a good job in coverage. I would expect to see GT throw the ball a lot against ND, and ND won’t be successful playing the 3-4 defense unless the defensive backs can keep the offense from making big gains on pass plays. If we have WR's that can play at this level, they should have big days.
3. It's tough for a 3-4 DE to pick up as many sacks as a 4-3 DE, because a 3-4 DE doesn't have the freedom to go recklessly upfield. He has to protect the LBs.

What are the advantages of the 3-4 defense?

The offense does not know which of the 2 OLBs is going to rush the QB, as both of the OLBs are standing. This creates the following advantages:

1. It's harder for the offensive linemen to correctly determine their blocking assignments before the snap and execute. The 3-4 defense is the poster boy for flexibility. The strength of this defense is the number of speedy athletes you can put on the field at the same time.
2. Lateral quickness. The additional LB's cut off the edges of the field on a consistent basis.
3. It puts more mental pressure on the QB. The defense is so versatile that you could be in what appears to be a 5-2 defense because you have so many similar players that can do the same thing. You have endless combinations that you can zone blitz. You get the impression that their calling defensive plays out of a hat.

My advice for Taylor Bennett: watch the AFC title game this year between the Colts and Pats and watch the playoff game this year when the Pats beat the Chargers. The Chargers played a lot of 3-4 with superior athletes.

No Tom Brady Here

written by Lennie Mac

One of the things that I noticed is that with the exception of Matthew Stafford, GT lost to very good quarterbacks. Here are the QB ratings for the 5 QB's that beat us last year:

Brady Quinn - 104.4
Will Proctor - 87.0
Matthew Stafford - 62.5
Riley Skinner - 96.9
Patrick White - 103.5

UGA aside, GT lost to teams that had above average QB play, and beat teams with average or inferior QB play. If you look at the upcoming season, there will be:

Notre Dame - 1st time starter
Boston College - Matt Ryan - 84.1
Virginia - Jameel Sewell - 69.6
Clemson - 1st time starter
Maryland - 1st time starter
Miami - Kyle Wright - 79.3
Virginia Tech - Sean Glennon - 76.2
Duke - Thaddeus Lewis - 63.5
North Carolina - 1st time starter
Georgia - Matthew Stafford - 62.5

With the exception of Matt Ryan, you could make the argument that we will face no superior QB's all season. Also keep in mind that all QB's had a passer rating of 66.1 against GT's defense which was 12th out of 66 BCS teams.

Hoops Recruiting

Alade Aminu's little bro - Al Forouq - has made his choice. The #1 SF in the nation has chosen.................. Wake Forest................... over GT and UNC. So at the end of the day, playing with Tony Woods, a big-time center who also committed on the same day, was more important than playing in-state with his bro.

So what will the reaction be? Are you going to be a "Coach Hewitt is losing it on the recruiting trial" person?.................... Are you going to be a "Who cares - he is a one-and-done player and we don't need any more of them" person?

My take - it IS a big miss when one of the top players in the nation, who is in-state, whose brother plays at your school, choses to play out-of-state but in your conference. The fact that Coach Hewitt has not been able to parlay his top recruits into any semblance of on-the-court elite success is a separate issue............ #1 - You have to get the horses to be successful.......... #2 - you hope to keep them in your program for at least 2 years to have any continuity............ #3 - you have develop a playing strategy that takes advantage of that talent.

Is not getting AF Aminu a big deal? Yeah it is. Is it the end of the world? Absolutely NOT. Wing players typically do not have a huge impact by themselves unless there is an experienced, talented supporting cast around them. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the key piece is the Point Guard. Losing Javaris Crittenton as a one-and-done will set us back a lot more than Thaddeus Young. Guess what - AF Aminu is a VERY likely one-and-done guy. Losing him isn't going to impact Coach Hewitt's ability to be successful - even though it is incredibly disappointing.

My key focus continues to be how to recruit and develop a PG that you can develop in a program........... Why weren't we successful with Chris Bosh for one season?.......... Jarrett Jack as a freshman.......... Why weren't we successful with Thaddeus Young for one season?........J.Crittenton as a freshman............ Why did we go to the National Championship Game without ANY high profile 3/4/5 position players in 2004? An experienced Jarrett Jack at PG and a great above average supporting cast that played well together.

This is why I am bullish on Mo Miller. He is a guy that can develop as a successful PG but does not have the physical size (a la Javaris) that attracts NBA scouts. I'll say it again - if Javaris Crittenton is 6'1" - he's still at Georgia Tech - period, end of sentence. Heck, he's probably still here if he's 6'2".

Coach Hewitt loves big PG's. So does the NBA.......... UNC takes Ty Lawson - and he's back for another season............ Tech takes Javaris - and he's gone............. 3-5" is the only real difference here. Trust me - if Ty Lawson is 6'5" - he's a 1st round pick and he's gone. Ty Lawson had a better season as a PG than JC did.

So is the perfect PG recruiting strategy to take the very best PG that is no taller than 6'1"? It goes against Coach Hewitt's philosophy, but how do you develop AND keep big talented PG's? How do you do it? I just don't know - and you NEED an experienced PG to really be successful. The NBA only gets more confirmation of the value of big PG's with Deron Williams, Jason Kidd and others.

At the end of the day, we all should wish AF Aminu all the best at Wake - except of course against Tech. Now Coach Hewitt will surely turn up the attention on the next guys on the list. Tech will be fine, although it is entirely possible that Coach Hewitt misses out on ALL his top targets in this recruiting class. We are still strong with a lot of elite players, but there are many ways the domino's could fall.

The sky is not falling I say. Worry more about how Coach Hewitt can win more games than how many blue-chippers he can bring in. His success so far has almost been inversely proportional to the number of blue-chippers on the roster. Food for thought.

Steven Threet Leaves Tech

Not good news - highly touted QB recruit Steven Threet has left the program and gone back home to Michigan. No word on if he withdrew from classes. Wow - with Threet and Marius leaving, that hurts.

"That is the case," Gailey said. "He gave me reasons but I don't like to speak for guys. He was in school this summer and I don't know if he has withdrawn from class, but he has gone back to Michigan."

Where are they now - Javaris Crittenton

In his first summer league game, Javaris Crittenton scores 18 pts, grabs 4 boards, dishes a few assists and has no turnovers. Oh yeah - he hit the game winning shot with 1.7 seconds. check it out.

Front Seven Index

by Lennie Mac

Let's get back into it by measuring the front 7's of all BCS teams in 2006 based upon its ability in three key categories: stopping the run, making the QB look like Sonny Corleone at the tollbooth, and minimal time of possession for the opponents offense. Specifically, we look at each opponents average yards per carry, negative pass plays - total sacks made plus interceptions thrown, and time of possession. Teams are then ranked based upon their average performance in each of these three categories. I don't think there is a GT fan that didn't believe that this one of the top 2 strengths of the team.


Rankings are listed as (yards allowed per carry-time of possession-negative pass play %):


1. Rutgers 10-7-1 Total 18
2. Miami 2-15-10 Total 27
3. Texas 3-10-19 Total 32
4. LSU 14-22-3 Total 39
5. Michigan 1-2-37 Total 40
6. Florida 4-11-26 Total 41
6. Oregon State 26-9-6 Total 41
8. Ohio State 21-16-8 Total 45
9. Louisville 23-13-12 Total 48
10. Virginia Tech 5-43-4 Total 52
10. Georgia 15-35-2 Total 52
12. Wake Forest 13-26-23 Total 62
13. UCLA 6-37-20 Total 63
13. Arizona State 30-17-16 Total 63
15. USC 11-14-39 Total 64
16. Oklahoma 16-8-41 Total 65
17. Washington State 24-29-13 Total 66
18. South Florida 17-38-14 Total 69
19. Penn State 7-36-27 Total 70
20. West Virginia 12-24-35 Total 71
21. Wisconsin 41-3-31 Total 75
22. Cincinnati 32-6-38 Total 76
23. South Carolina 46-27-5 Total 78
23. Notre Dame 38-18-22 Total 78
25. Clemson 9-56-15 Total 80
26. Boston College 28-20-33 Total 81
27. Nebraska 34-4-46 Total 84
28. Auburn 33-23-30 Total 86
29. Georgia Tech 19-28-40 Total 87
30. Virginia 22-60-11 Total 93
31. Mississippi State 25-40-36 Total 101
32. Kansas 29-19-54 Total 102
33. Syracuse 62-34-7 Total 103
33. Alabama 43-5-55 Total 103
35. Arkansas 27-52-25 Total 104
36. NC State 35-41-29 Total 105
37. Florida State 8-45-53 Total 106
38. Vanderbilt 49-50-9 Total 108
39. Connecticut 56-30-24 Total 110
40. Oklahoma State 45-49-18 Total 112
40. Colorado 18-46-48 Total 112
40. Texas A&M 54-1-57 Total 112
43. California 37-44-32 Total 113
44. Arizona 42-12-60 Total 114
45. Oregon 53-51-21 Total 125
46. Missouri 36-62-28 Total 126
47. Illinois 20-58-51 Total 129
48. Northwestern 52-33-45 Total 130
48. Kentucky 66-21-43 Total 130
50. Kansas State 48-66-17 Total 131
51. Washington 44-42-49 Total 135
52. Texas Tech 40-63-34 Total 137
53. Michigan State 39-39-64 Total 142
54. Tennessee 47-57-42 Total 146
54. Duke 58-25-63 Total 146
56. Indiana 61-32-56 Total 149
57. Minnesota 51-53-47 Total 151
58. Maryland 60-31-61 Total 152
59. North Carolina 55-54-44 Total 153
60. Iowa 31-65-58 Total 154
61. Pittsburgh 57-55-50 Total 162
62. Mississippi 50-48-66 Total 164
63. Iowa State 59-47-59 Total 165
64. Purdue 64-64-52 Total 180
65. Stanford 63-59-65 Total 187
66. Baylor 65-61-62 Total 188

Georgia Tech held opponents to 3.30 ypc (19th), was on the field for 30:09 (28th), and caused 48 negative pass plays in 496 attempts (9.68%), which was 40th.

The big problem for the defense last year was the lack of interceptions. They only had 13 interceptions. You'll see in a later column that aside from points on the scoreboard, interceptions have the biggest impact on winning than any other stat.

Football Recruiting - Jackets Nab Ohio LB

BJ Machen became the latest Jacket commitment. Machen is a 6'0" 220lb LB from Ohio. He had offers from over 25 other schools, including Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse and West Virginia. His father played at Stanford and his grandpa played at Illinois in the 50's, so there's some player blood in him......... Deron Jasper, a Tech DB, is Machen's cousin, so there were some family ties here............ Rivals lists Machen as a "3 star" guy, for what it's worth, the #37 LB in the country, and #21 prospect in the state of Ohio............. While some schools actually recruited him as a safety prospect, he's coming to the Jackets as a LB prospect............... Here's a little more info................ here are some video clips.

Here are some scout.com dudes discussing the Machen in their look at players from Ohio:

19. B.J. Machen – Hilliard Darby – WLB

6-1/210/4.60

Bob: Is a kid I have been talking about all year long and I think he is a good one. This whole group of players that we are talking about here are good enough , that in some years they could be the top five players in the state and their not far off this year. Machen is a tackling machine. He has great lateral movement and is like a heat seeking missile. I like backers who finish tackles and play with bad intentions, that is Machen. The kid is very cerebral, a trait that his father has instilled in him. Someone is getting a winner here.

Greg: I found out about B.J. Machen when Lichtenfels hit me up with his highlights after discovering early this year. He told me that he had found a real hidden gem, and it only took a few minutes scouting his film to realize that he was spot on. This kid plays with bad intentions, and will flat out lay the boom when laying a hit on the ball carrier. He shoots the gaps well and shows nice instinctual fluidness when he moves. He may not have ideal size, but these intangibles make him worth a chance.

Bill: Yet ANOTHER great LB prospect in Ohio, and this one is a flat out tackling machine. Offers from West Virginia, Nebraska, Pitt, and others. Machen will probably not get an Ohio State offer but someday might be a looked at as a player that should have. Machen takes great pursuit angles and doesn’t miss when he gets there. He gets it done in the classroom too and that also makes him a desirable recruit. He doesn’t get the publicity of Brandon Beachum or Justin Staples, but he’s just as good a football player. I expect to see Machen succeed at the next level.

Dave: When I last spoke with Hilliard Darby head coach Paul Jenne about one of his seniors in the 07 class he was quick to point out Machen as being a major prospect. After watching film and talking with a few other coaches I fully understand what all the fuss is about. Shows great instincts and an explosive burst.

Football Recruiting Video - Sean Renfree

Check out this video of our latest verbal recruit - QB Sean Renfree


Sean Renfree Highlight Video - Click here for the most popular videos

Thaddeus Throws out the 1st Pitch

At a Philly / Mets game:

1990 Revisited

Football Notes

Some random notes from the football team:

LITTLE BRO' FULLBACK ON THE WAY
Mike Cox's little bro is transferring from UConn to Tech. He's a fullback also - must run in the family. If he's as good as big bro', then that could be outstanding. The short-term great news is that Mike should be back 100% when fall practice starts, which would be the first time in a long time, after dealing with a nagging shoulder issue.

ANOTHER TRANSFER
Another kid heading to Tech is a kid who played as a freshman at Tulsa, but decided to change schools after his head coach left for a bigger job - Anthony Egbuniwe - a good sized DE. He's from my backyard in Greenville SC. By the way, he appears to have gained about 40 pounds since he came in as a frosh - up to 260lb. He should have 3 years of eligibility left.

By the way, the picture below is Egbuniwe chasing down future Clemson QB Willy Korn. This is a sight I would hope to see often in the next few years.


ANOTHER QB ON BOARD
Arizona QB recruit Sean Renfree has committed to the Jackets. We are talking another guy with size - 6'3" 185lb. He plans to enroll early, then redshirt and prepare for winning the starting job once Taylor Bennett is gone. If it matters to you, Renfree is a "3 to 4-star" caliber guy and Rivals ranks him as the #8 pro-style QB in the nation right now. He's the #17 QB from Scout.com. In addition, he won a spot in the prestigious "Elite 11" QB camp (put on by EA Sports). He passed for 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns his junior season and was intercepted only five times. He's more of a drop-back pocket passer with a quick release (important to John Bond), and good accuracy. He also happens to be a 3.7+ GPA kid with a high SAT score and a transcript full of AP and honor courses, so he's got the smarts.

I like this quote from Scout.com:

"It's not really important to me how much they are going to be throwing," said Renfree. "As long as I'm winning games – that's what's going to be important. As long as we can be competitive to win a conference championship and a national championship – that's all I care about."

ANDREW GARDNER - OLD MARRIED DUDE
Nice article on senior AG - and his new married life. However, Calvin needs to step up for the guy who has been his teammate since high school:

"[Calvin] was invited to the wedding, and sent a text message saying he was sorry he couldn't come because he had an obligation with the Lions. He said he'd send something nice. He hasn't yet. Maybe I need to call him."

FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE PUNTING GAME
Nice story on Durant Brooks.
SCHEDULING RUMORS
Rumors by someone at the Hive that Dan Radakovich is pushing to get the UGAg moved to the season opener. Just a rumor, but interesting none-the-less. If there are legs to this story, rest assured that the topic will absolutely split Jacket fans. You can see that coming a mile away.
JONATHAN DWYER - THE NEW #21
Nice story about Dwyer wearing Calvin's number this season:

"The thing about it is, I don't want to get too carried away with overstating how important a uniform number is," Gailey said. "Jonathan is going to be a great player, and I want him to make his own reputation."

That is exactly the same message Johnson had for Dwyer when the former and future Yellow Jackets spoke shortly after the latter was issued No. 21.

And Dwyer has taken that conversation with the Tech icon to heart.

"He was telling me not to worry about it too much," Dwyer said of Johnson. "He said, 'Just go out and do what you do and make a name for yourself."

Here's another great story on the super frosh RB Dwyer.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JOE BURNS
Great update on Joe Burns. He has returned to Tech to finish his degree. Oh yeah, he also married Tech's first African American Female Student body president.

Ahhhhhh....... The Beach...........

Sand between the toes................ hot sun................... salty waves.................. no email.... our family's annual trek to Hilton Head. I love this time of year. Of course it has been raining all day today, but who cares..................

So I finally got the wireless connection working here and thought I'd post a few things.

THE DRAFT AFTERMATH
Ok, so we all know that Thaddeus Young was drafted #12 by the Sixers and Javaris Crittenton was drafted #19 by the Lakers. A set of 1st round draft picks for the Jackets................. like ships passing through the night. We will have to enjoy watching them reach their potential at the professional level.

You know what, I got a lot of flak for one of my earlier posts, where many of you felt I was a bit condescending in my defense of guys going pro early. You know what - oh well. The only reason I get defensive is when I see comments by people saying "good riddance" or "they were never Tech men". It's amazing how people wash their hands of these kids as soon they are no longer wearing the uni................ and man, heaven for bid they short change fans by not staying longer than a year. If I'm a kid, these comments reinforce one thing - fans care about their school, and only care about the players to the level that they contribute to the school. All that junk they read when they are being recruited in high school "Javaris, Tech wants you", "Thaddeus, we love you".......... please.

Ok, sorry for the soapbox yet again. Here's the bottom-line. I hate the system. You hate the system. It's not the players that we should have the problem with. It's the system. The NBA one year rule benefits one group - the NBA. These kids want to play NBA ball. Their dream is not to play Georgia Tech basketball. Tech is a means to an end. In fact, as my friend Bryan put it -

There's no point in playing college hoops if you want to be a pro. There's no reason - none - for a guy to play coollege hoops one second more than they have to. They should drop out of school and train full time the minute their teams season is done. Staying in school won't help anybody's draft stock any more It can only hurt it.

Well, here's what I would say. If you are ranked as one of the top....... say......... 20 players coming out of high school............ AND you have size for your position................... and you are athletic.................. then going to college isn't going to help you much. The risk that you hurt your stock is greater than the possibility you improve it.

So, the REAL question is - how on earth can Paul Hewitt build more successful programs at Georgia Tech considering the reality of the system now? Frankly, he hasn't quite figured it out yet. One great run to the national championship without any one-and-done guys, but not much else to speak of before or after that. It ain't easy. Here's what Coach Hewitt had to say:

“It’s bittersweet, no doubt,” Hewitt says. “But when I look back at it, there’s two more millionaires that we’re producing.”

Cha-ching for them. Frustration and unsettled-ness for the rest of us.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS
From reading some of the reactions by Sixer and Laker fans, it was apparent that they jusr were not familiar with these guys. Sixer fans were actually pretty upset at the TY pick - check it out............

"[Fans] are upset because it's a name people weren't looking for. Nobody knows this guy," said Drew Hemmert, a Bucks County, Pa., resident. "They hear that name and haul out of here because it's not a sexy name."

Thaddeus showed he is willing to set some modest goals while in Philly:

"I'm a lottery pick and that's over with," he said. "Now I've got to come in and work hard, earn every minute I get and hopefully I'll become a franchise player or a Hall of Fame player."

Now, Sixer's VP Tony DiLeo wasn't exactly glowing about Thad's time at Tech:

“He showed a lot in high school,” Sixers’ senior vice president Tony DiLeo said. “He didn’t show as much his freshman year at Georgia Tech. He came in here and showed us some things that we thought he would do and he could do those things. You’re not going to find a better, complete package as far as a person, a player who wants to become great."

Some similar reaction for Javaris in LA, where the Lakers took PG Jordan Farmer in last year's draft. Fans just weren't familiar enough with JC on the west coast.

By the way - check out some interesting graphs / breakdowns of the draft by position, by age, and a bunch of other breakdowns. Interesting.......

John Bond on Developing QB's

Well, I'm writing from Chi-town, the windy city....................

For those of you wanting a good dose of what new offensive coordinator John Bond is all about, someone on the Hive ran across this article that Coach Bond penned himself on his philosophy for developing quarterbacks. It's a good read and worth the time.

To summarize, here are the salient points:

1. Starts with evaluation - the #1 key for Bond is toughness followed by competitiveness. As far as physical tools, there are "many ways to skin a cat", although he realizes that dual-threat guys give DC's nightmares............ field vision is a key trait. He believes great field vision by the QB is a necessary trait to win championships. However, he doesn't believe this can be taught. You either have it or you don't - and it's not really height related either................. Lastly he looks for a quick release.................... Coach Bond believes all these traits can be detected during the evaluation and recruiting process.
2. Coach Bond does not care much about 40 times or height - he focuses on the items in #1 above.
3. Once they get a kid to campus, here are the key points they hammer home:
1. 1. We tell them to never take a sack.
   2. Never say: “Don’t throw an interception.”
   3. Scramble to throw.
   4. Throw against the blitz every day.
   5. Protect your quarterback inside out.
   6. Know who to throw to on the blitz.
   7. Teach the quarterback to deceive with his eyes and actions.
   8. Demand that your quarterback coach the wide receivers.
   9. Put him in adverse situations in practice.
   10. Force him to make throws in practice.
4. He likes to script scramble plays at least once during 7-on-7 drills.
5. He does not like to be the OC and the special teams coach, because he wants to spend that extra time with the QB's.
6. He strongly believes in developing a close relationship with his QB's both on and off the field. It's all about building trust during the developmental process.

Honestly, I read that and like what it says. As has been documented, John Bond seems to have a much stronger hands-on approach with this players versus Patrick Nix. While Miami fans seems to have guarded optimism with Patrick Nix, they are really putting their stock into Randy Shannon, who seems to be putting some discipline back into that program. Rivals did a pretty in-depth piece on Nix with a lot of quotes, including this Gailey-ism:

"Our offense has to understand what our role is," Nix said. "We're not going out and trying to break records. You want to score and do those things, but you've got to be smart sometimes so you don't put yourselves in bad situations that give other teams a chance to (score).''

In addition, he had this to say about Calvin Johnson / Reggie Ball:

Georgia Tech had received plenty of criticism before last season for not using All-America receiver Calvin Johnson often enough. Johnson caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns last season to shatter his previous career highs in all three categories. However, Johnson was held without a catch against Clemson and had only one reception against Georgia.

"The biggest thing I learned is the game doesn't revolve around one person," Nix said. "Last year at times we got ourselves into trouble trying to force it in to him too much when they double- and triple-teamed him. There were other opportunities and other things open, and we were sitting there thinking we've got to get the ball to Calvin. It put him in bad situations and put (quarterback) Reggie (Ball) in a bad position.

"You have to use everybody. It's not just a one-man show. But at the same time, you do have to understand and realize how important it is to use the guys you do have."

By the way, did you happen to catch the "Georgia Tech Sports Today" program about a month ago where Wes spent the entire program with John Bond. Great show and I liked what Coach Bond had to say there as well. Good stuff. September cannot get here fast enough..........

........... well, since I will be vacationing in Hilton Head next week, let me say that next week cannot get here fast enough.

Thaddeus Young to New Orleans?

Thaddeus Young has ties to New Orleans - and the Hornets are interested. There's a VERY strong chance they will draft a "Young", although it could be Nick Young or Thaddeus Young.

"I was very impressed with Thaddeus," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said after Young's workout this month. "I saw a bunch of tape on him this summer. And watching the tape I was impressed, but watching him out here in the workouts, two-on-two, one-on-one, he did a lot of things that I didn't see in the tape. I was impressed with his basketball IQ. He's definitely going to have a great career in this league."

Here's more info on Thad's primary "advisor":

A couple years later, Carter became the primary adviser to Thaddeus Young, just like he was for his dad 30 years earlier.

Carter is a prominent attorney, a former elected property assessor and father of former state Rep. Karen Carter, D-New Orleans, who lost a runoff to U.S. Rep. William Jefferson last fall. And in the world of high school basketball, sure enough, he dealt with politics, too.

Carter would communicate with the onslaught of college coaches, and the stingy shoe companies, too. He helped coordinate Young's pivotal summer at a prep school in New Haven, Conn. He followed him on the summer AAU tours to tournaments and camps "to make sure he wasn't exploited. There's lots of exploitation out there."

Carter would make sure Young wasn't overworked by coaches, and make sure he was getting proper medical treatment and nutrition.

And, perhaps most importantly, he provided guidance to the impressionable player, teaching him lessons about perseverance and integrity, which have spilled into Young's personality.

Lastly, look at this story and tell me how ANYONE can dump on this young man for pursuing a dream:

At the 2005 Hornets game, when Young met Shinn, New Orleans lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime. That night, LeBron James scored 44 points.

After the game, Carter and Young waited for the NBA star to come out of the locker room. James and Young met and had their picture taken together.

"Thaddeus was just so excited," Carter said. "He told LeBron, 'I'll be in the league one day, I'll be with you.'

"And now we have an opportunity for that to happen."

Folks, he and JC and Bosh and just about every other kid wearing the Tech uni have a dream. They have a dream to play professional ball. Who are you to criticize a guy when he has that chance now.

Over at the AJC, there's a blog from M.Knobler asking for thoughts as to why Tech has not had success with one-and-done players under Hewitt - citing Bosh, Young and Crittenton. I don't usually comment, but I did, and for me it boils down to this - freshman point guards. People often forget that Chris Bosh's one and only season was also Jarrett Jack's freshman season................ frosh...................... Javaris was a freshman starting point guard................... The fact that Bosh and Young were on these teams was incidental. Playing with a freshman point guard is an obstacle of mammoth proportions. Jarrett Jack as a junior with a supporting cast of a bunch of above average players took a ride to the national championship game.

You might cite Stephon Marbury's success or Kenny Anderson's success. However, don't forget that those guys were two of the best collegiate PG's to EVER play the game - and they had some amazing supporting casts when you think about it.

Help the Brahma Bull

Written by Lennie Mac

My apologies for not writing for a while, busy enjoying the Red Sox. Now its July and I look forward to writing about the upcoming season. I'll be writing my numbers articles starting this week, but before I do that, I want to bring to your attention to a GT great that needs our help. It comes from a very disturbing story in this week's Sporting News.

Larry Morris is arguably the greatest GT football player of all (pictured left on the cover of Sport Magazine in 1954). He was captain of both the football and baseball teams, started all four seasons in football, won a national championship in 1952 and went 4-0 in bowl games. He followed that up with a storied career with the Chicago Bears, winning an NFL championship in 1963, named the championship game's MVP with an interception and two sacks of Y.A. Tittle. Unfortunately, he remembers none of it.

Larry Morris is now 73, in full blown dimentia, likely due to multiple concussions he received playing football. His college teammates said that he received several of those concussions playing for the Yellow Jackets.

From the Sporting News:

"One detail that remained clear in his mind then was the importance of his relationship with Bobby Dodd, the legendary coach of Georgia Tech. Morris' father died when Morris was a young boy, and Dodd became a father figure. Few men played as large a role in Morris' life as Dodd did. Yet while Morris looked through a scrapbook of his old newspaper clippings three weeks ago, he said he never played for Dodd."

Due to business decisions likely caused by his dimentia, their fortune is depleted and it is widely known about the lack of funds from the NFLPA to help players out from the 50's and 60's.

If you want to help out their family and their medical bills, please go to http://www.jerrykramer.com/ and their Gridiron Greats fund. If you go under dire need players, you will find Larry Morris.

I hope you all get a chance to read Sporting News this week and contribute whatever you can to his fund. I know I will.

Hoops Recruiting - Aminu Down to Two

Rivals.com reports that Al-Forouq Aminu (Alade's younger bro) has eliminated the Tarheels and is down to GT and Wake Forest. Anyone who has followed his recruitment knows that he has wrestled with following in his brother's footsteps or creating his own legacy. Al-Forouq's latest thought process is that playing with his brother is a non-issue since they would only play together for one season. Tech should be in the driver's seat, but Wake will be tough to beat.

Al-Farouq Aminu has eliminated North Carolina and is down to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. The lure of possibly playing with Tony Woods is attractive to Aminu, yet playing at his hometown school where his brother and other friends are on the team.

Javaris Video

Some video from a Washington Wizards workout of Javaris Crittenton and other draft hopefuls.

Thaddeus Young Interview

This following his workout for the Knicks 6/20

What's buzzin'

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'll have some stuff later this weekend. I'm working on a hoops team preview that should be interesting now that we know JC and Thad are gone. Here are a couple of misc notes:

SouthernPigskin has Taylor Bennett and Tashard Choice in the top 10 at their position in a look at the combined ACC/SEC:

4. Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech – The leading rusher in the ACC last season with 1,473 yards, Choice is the offensive motor for the Yellow Jackets. A workhorse back in the ultimate sense, Choice can carry an offense on his shoulders. Give him 25 carries and he will wear down an opposing defense.

10. Taylor Bennett, Georgia Tech – Yes, he’s a first-year starter, but Bennett may be the next big thing in the ACC. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a Gator Bowl opportunity against West Virginia. He has shown great pocket poise in limited action thus far. With Calvin Johnson gone, he will have to distribute the ball around.

How about this - Kenny Anderson is a head coach............. of a team in the ATL called the "Krunk". Cool deal I think.

"I feel that coming back to the city where I was a college star at Georgia Tech to coach is a blessing," Anderson said in a statement. "I look forward to the challenge that lies ahead. I will work hard and will be fully committed to the CBA's Atlanta Krunk being a success."

Chad Ford on Thaddeus Young

Well, none of this should come as a shock to you by now. From Chad Ford over on ESPN Insider:

I'm told that's it's very likely that Georgia Tech's Thaddeus Young will stay in the draft, too. His family has begun to interview agents, a sign that he's in to stay.

Initially, Young set a condition of being in the top 15 to stay in the draft, but now he's saying top 20. It's a pretty safe bet that he'll go that high. In fact, Young was one of the 15 players invited by the NBA to attend the draft and sit in the green room, which is a good indicator of where NBA teams have him ranked.

If Georgetown's Jeff Green pulls out of the draft (some GMs and scouts now think he will), then Young's stock probably rises to the point that he goes between No. 10 and No. 15.

Where are they now - Quick Hitters

A handful of "Where are they now's" :

1. Tommy Hammonds likes to race cars........... however, we're not talking a hobby here. We're talking "Tom Hammonds Racing" - check it out.
2. It's the final weekend of decision time for Thaddeus Young. Monday is the deadline to withdraw his name from the draft. There's a reason I am commenting on this in the "Where are they now" section. I think you know what I'm talking about. I wish you the best in the NBA Thad (he's been doing fairly well in private workouts and even has one scheduled for AFTER the Monday deadline with one team. What to make of that?)............. Thad is a 15-20 pick.
   
3. Interesting look at the the best NBA drafts of all-time, including the Stephon Marbury 1996 draft.
4. Former Jacket beesball assistant coach Henry "Turtle" Thomas gets a head coaching job at FIU.
5. This on the possible magnitude of Calvin Johnson's rookie salary and bonus:

1. Rogers’ signing bonus of $14.4 million could be a relative pittance compared to what Johnson will get.

   The salary cap in 2003 was $75 million. This year’s salary cap is $109 million — $34 million more than when Rogers was drafted, and an increase of $7 million from 2006.

   Guaranteed money in rookie contracts has become more important than signing bonuses, and the Lions will have to lay out some heavy dough for Johnson. Mario Williams, a defensive end drafted first overall by Houston last year, got $26.5 million guaranteed on a six-year contract. Running back Reggie Bush, drafted second overall by New Orleans, got $26.2 million. Quarterback Vince Young, taken third by Tennessee, got $25.7 million.

   With those benchmarks, and an expected increase in the range of 7 percent over last year’s draft class, look for Johnson’s guaranteed money to be in the range of $28 million.

   Tom Lewand, the Lions chief operating officer and lead negotiator on player contracts, said negotiations on rookie contracts usually don’t begin until July.

   The Lions want a six-year contract for Johnson.

6. Lots of info here on beesball Jackets around the minors.
7. Guess who was golfing with Steve Spurrier when he heard the news about Billy Donnovan's weird saga with Florida and Orlando? Our own Bobby Cremins

1. Strangely, Spurrier's current school was the victim of a similar about-face in 1993, when Bobby Cremins left Georgia Tech for the Gamecocks and then changed his mind after two days.
   
   Spurrier said he was actually playing golf with Cremins when he heard the Donovan news.
   
   ``Bobby said, 'I know how he felt,''' Spurrier said. ``So it happens a lot.''

8. Pat Swilling was inducted into the Louisiana HOF and here's a great article about him, including this cool quote from Bill Parcels:

1. When Bill Parcells was in the middle of his Super Bowl reign with the New York Giants as coach of a defense built around arguably the finest outside linebacker to ever play in the NFL, Parcells often motivated the man who wore the red, white and blue No. 56 by invoking the name of the man who wore the black and gold No. 56.

   Shortly before the Giants were getting ready to play the Los Angeles Rams in a 1990 playoff game, Parcells went up to Lawrence Taylor and told the future Hall of Famer that he had a plane ticket for him.

   "I want you to go to New Orleans," Parcells told Taylor. "Go find Pat Swilling. Give him your plane ticket and your helmet. You stay in New Orleans and have a nice time. He'll play."

9. Will Bynum is going to play against the New York Knicks - with his current team.
10. You know John Salley is on TV, but did you know he's on a new series.
11. Will Joe Anoai join the WWF?

1. "Former Georgia Tech star Joe Anoai, who is the brother of former WWE star Rosey, got cut by the Minnesota Vikings on 5/31. He didn't even make it to mini-camp. It's almost a lock that if he doesn't hook up with another NFL team this year, or doesn't at least make practice squad roster, that he'll be offered a developmental contract from WWE."

12. For all the bad press Stephon Marbury gets, it seems that he's trying to do some good things - first with the cheap shoes for kids, and now this:

1. I have written about it before, but that bad attitude dude, Stephon Marbury is at it again. Appearing on WFAN this Friday with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, Marbury showed his true character. His latest exploit - buying books for an underfunded library on Staten Island, in an impoverished area where Marbury grew up. Marbury was out on Staten Island earlier in the week participating in a reading-to-kids program, and made the donation in conjunction with that program. This is nothing new for Steph. Though regularly vilified for his bad attitude and presumptively bad character, there are few professional athletes in all of major American sports that devote as much time and energy to good works as Marbury.

   Marbury, of course, has also taken the basketball-sneaker world by storm, since his well-selling Starbury one line goes for anywhere from 9.98 to 14.98. As Benigno and Roberts pointed out, that’s way less than the sneaker line of the now officially anointed Le Bron James (which go for about $150 a pop). And, as Marbury told Outside the Lines last summer, the reason he was doing this was so that families like the one he grew up in didn’t have to choose between buying groceries and buying basketball shoes.

   We’ll have made progress when guys like Marbury don’t get judged to be bad characters by whether they cooperate sufficiently with the media.

13. Not sure you can do a "Where are they now" for someone who never showed up at Tech - here's J.Parker - the best fastball in high school in the nation - and he's not coming to Tech. A first round pick in the MLB draft has assured us of that.
    

Where are they now - Jarrett Jack

Jarrett was on the "2 Live Stews" the other day on 790thezone. It was a bit of a strange interview. Check it out for yourself:

Jarrett Jack passes gas in class

Posted by Casey Holdahl June 13, 2007 08:59AM

Categories: Audio

Jarrett Jack took some time out of his busy finals schedule at Georgia Tech to talk to a Atlanta-based sports radio show called "The 2 Live Stews." You can listen to the interview here. As you might expect, the Stews asked Jarrett about life in Portland and playing for the Blazers, and about the possibility of Jack coming back to the ATL to play for the Hawks. Jarrett notes that he hears his name involved in rumored trades, but that he's a Trail Blazer until someone tells him otherwise.

Jack also talks about passing gas in public, the suicide rate in Portland and the rainy season. Give it a listen.

Recruiting - Relationships

The most important quote about our newest commit? This one from his high school head coach:

"We've built a good relationship with Tech," Hawkinsville coach Lee Campbell said recently. "I know (Tech recruiting coordinator) Giff (Smith) really likes Kamaron."

Developing strong relationships at key high schools throughout the state is an obvious key to recruiting.

Hoops Recruiting - Iman Shumpert

A primary target for Paul Hewitt is Iman Shumpert (great name by the way - sure to be a potential SI best name candidate). Check out the PDF article from the free Illinois hoops mag........... word is that Tech is in his final three - although there are a lot of big schools after him.

Football - More on the Truth

....... the Truth that is Calvin Johnson:

Not only does Mike O'Hara predict Calvin Johnson's salary at $28 million, based upon last Reggie Bush's (last year's No. 2 pick) plus a seven percent gain, but he also quotes Jon Kitna talking glowingly about the Lions' rookie.

June 10, Detroit News: "He's a lot like Roy," Kitna said. "I haven't played with anyone like that big, who runs, snatches everything.

"This guy is like the perfect mold for receivers, and he has the desire to be great. He went above what I thought he could be. He has a different way about him.

"He doesn't take any plays off. He gets mad at himself. That's a good thing."

Terry Foster has talked with some Lions vets who think very highly of Johnson. But don't forget about Alama-Francis, either.

June 11, Detroit News: Everybody is impressed with Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson . In fact, one ambitious Lion told me he is going to become the LeBron James of the NFL. Let's not put that pressure on Johnson, the Lions' first-round pick this year.

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis isn't getting as much attention. But the word is, this guy is going to be fantastic. He has great hands and balance and is quick within space. He's not an instinctive pass rusher yet, but he should be very strong against the run. Coaches are thrilled because they believe, in time, his work ethic will place him ahead of linemen drafted ahead of him.

Where are they now - Tommy Hammonds

Racing cars -that's where. Here's some video of him prepping his car:

Where are they now - Thaddeus Young

Thaddeus impresses the Hornets.

Where are they now - Levon Thomas

Former Georgia Tech WR Levon Thomas was signed by the Orlando Predators, the same Arena football team that Joe Hamilton led for a few years.

"Levon is an explosive receiver, who has great hands and runs accurate routes," Head Coach Jay Gruden. "We've had a hard time covering him in practice and I am anxious to see him in game conditions." Thomas has spent the last 11 days with the Predators as a member of the practice squad.

Thomas could play as early as Saturday against the Dragons.

Football - Tashard and the Heisman

Fox Sports on Tashard Choice and his Heisman potential:

18. RB Tashard Choice, Sr., Georgia Tech

Fund a campaign: Choice steps outside Calvin Johnson's shadow one year after leading the ACC in rushing and going for more than 100 yards in nine of his last 10 games. A local phenomenon for much of the season, he amassed some important national style points by shredding West Virginia for a career-best 169 yards in the Gator Bowl.

Buy new wrestling mats: If an all-timer like Johnson labored to crack the top 10 last year, imagine how difficult it'll be for Choice, a very good, yet still pretty anonymous back. Unless Tech is in the hunt for another ACC title, he'll struggle to capture the attention of voters outside the southern region.

Beesball - Final Draft Results

From the great site - beesball.com:

• Results of The MLB Draft...
  • Matt Wieters: 1st Round (5th overall) - Baltimore Orioles
  • Jarrod Parker: 1st Round (9th overall) - Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Neil Ramirez: Comp A (44th overall) - Texas Rangers
  • Danny Payne: Comp A (64th overall) - San Diego Padres
  • Derek Dietrich: 3rd Round (111th overall) - Houston Astros
  • Michael Fisher: 6th Round (198th overall) - Atlanta Braves
  • Tim Ladd: 9th Round (288th overall) - Atlanta Braves
  • Wally Crancer: 12th round (369th overall) - Baltimore Orioles
  • Eddie Burns: 16th Round (498th overall) - Atlanta Braves
  • David Duncan: 23rd Round (700th overall) - Washington Nationals
  • Jared Hyatt: 33rd Round (1008th overall) - Texas Rangers
  • Luke Murton: 40th Round (1217th overall) - New York Yankees
  • Ryan Turner: 45th Round (1337th overall) - Texas Rangers
  
  
• Matt Wieters was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth pick of the first round. See Wieters/Teixeira/Scott Boras related story on the state of the Orioles along with coverage from the Baltimore Sun, an Atlanta-based "newspaper" and MLB.com.

• "D-backs get their man -- Jarrod Parker". See story.

• "The eyes of Texas were on Neil Ramirez at draft". See story.

• The Astros used their first pick of the draft on Derek Dietrich. See story.

Beesball - Wieters Goes to the ......

.............. Baltimore Orioles with the #5 pick in the 2007 MLB draft..........

MLB Draft - Must Miss TV

Ok, so ESPN thinks they can may hay with the MLB draft on TV, which airs today at 2pm on the duece (ESPN2). For Jacket fans, the first 10 picks are worth watching as Matt Wieters will be picked anywhere from #1 - 10. My guess is somewhere between 5-10 because his agent happens to be Scott Boras. Boras clients tend to fall because teams get scared away from big signing bonus demands and other red tape. That happened to Mark Teixeira (who happens to be the subject of trade rumors by the way) Here's some comments about Boras:

Several agents and executives who follow the draft closely indicated Wednesday that one of the draft's top players -- Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters, West Orange (N.J.) Seton Hall Prep right-hander Rick Porcello or Groton (Conn.) Fitch High School right-hander Matt Harvey -- could drop into the latter half of the first round.

Why?

Agent Scott Boras, escalator of the baseball economy, is advising them all.

Wieters, least likely to drop to the Tigers, is expected to ask for a major league contract worth between $8 million and $10 million. If he falls to the Tigers, they are certain to be intrigued. Wieters, a switch-hitter, has All-Star potential, and could develop into a major league starter within three years.

Here's more on Boras / Wieters:

Tech catcher is probably the biggest enigma in today's draft.

"There's no question that Matt Wieters is the biggest wild card on the board and that's because of Scott Boras," said Baseball America Editor-in-Chief John Manuel. "If you go on talent alone, Matt is the second-best prospect behind (Vanderbilt pitcher) David Price. Matt Wieters has the athletic ability to play a number of different positions. We know he's listed first or second on a lot of teams' draft boards right now, but when you've got Scott Boras as an adviser it changes everything. There are some teams that just refuse to deal with a Scott Boras player.

"Matt could go anywhere from the second pick to the second round. If he does slide it won't be because of his talent. It will be because of his representation. Even if Matt does slide a little, he's still going to get money equivalent to someone that was a top-five pick."

......... and more on the Boras / Teixeira / Wieters connection:

Wieters, who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the College World Series last year, has been compared to Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who was another switch-hitting catcher for Georgia Tech.

"I think Matt has more talent than Jason, but Varitek has more intangibles," Manuel said. "Matt has better physical tools than Jason, but Jason might be the best on-field leader in major league baseball. I think a better comparison is to Mark Teixeira."

Ironically, Teixeira, the Texas Rangers' starting first baseman, is also represented by Boras and is a former Georgia Tech standout. Teixiera was the fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft and signed a $9.5 million bonus.

..................... Wieters was named 1st team All-American again and a finalist for the Johnny Bench award............. Here are some draft overachievers if you're interested.......... Here's a very cool article on Nomar / Jay / Jason and that awesome 1994 team.

Losing the Moniker

"Pulling a Cremins" just might become "Pulling a Donnovan"........ straight from the FORMER head of the flip-flop club:

"They'll probably call it a 'Donovan' now instead of a 'Cremins,' '' Cremins said. "We'll probably nominate him president of our club."

Here's a nice interview with Cremins......

The day the earth stood still

Calvin drops a pass in practice

-- At one point during Monday’s practice, rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson took off down the right sideline. He pulled well ahead of the defensive backs chasing him. The ball fell right into his hands …

And Johnson dropped it.

The Lions’ facility echoed with gasps and groans. Johnson had made so many remarkable plays since the Lions drafted him second overall, it was as if no one could believe he could actually drop a ball. Alas, the kid is human.

I

Here is another version of the same thing:

For those of you that like to rip and say Kitna isn’t an accurate long-range passer I wish you had been in practice today. He threw one bomb and it was a perfect strike (sixty yards in fact) that he dropped in a spot that only CJ could get it while in double coverage. CJ dropped it and not only was I shocked since it was a perfect pass and he has made some much more difficult catches, but the entire staff and team all yelled out in shock. It was as loud as the team got today and it was a wonderful camaraderie moment as it was more of a come on rook moment.

In other news, reports of a white horse flying in the clouds over Detroit..................

In addition there were these nuggets:

The WR’s in this system are trained to go to a spot. I know that some people struggle with that concept but it is the way things happen with Martz. Early in practice the players had to make an eight-yard sprint and cut between the eight and ten yard marks. There were two cones that they had to cut between. CJ ran past the cone and the coaches’ tore him up. I can’t tell you exactly what was said but after practice someone close to the drill essentially told me “he was just instructed that out here people don’t care where you were picked, just make the cut and catch the ******* ball! The players really like CJ and his work ethic and he loves that he isn’t getting any special treatment. He gets ripped like any rookie trying for a spot.

Another sign of respect and what the Lions think of CJ. He was double teamed all day in team sessions. That was probably part of the reason he struggled but the dude is a rook and that happens?! (yes I realize I used to punctuation marks and that is how I felt) The point that stuck out however was that they did it all day.

Another CJ note. Travis Fisher wanted to make a point when covering him today and CJ just literally ran by him. He had Fisher twisted and turned and was just another flash of potential greatness. You will see less of the miraculous catches for now as CJ is learning his routes but his speed is spectacular and he knows what to do with it.

..................and the AJC laments the Falcons lame attempt (or lack there of) at getting CJ.

Lastly, CJ's WR mate - Roy Williams had this to say:

"We're a good group," Williams said of the Lions receivers. "We just got to get Calvin (Johnson) to where he needs to be. Once he gets there, it's over."

The Lions' No. 1 pick out of Georgia Tech, Johnson has been running first team since mini-camp because of Williams' injury. Williams said the two are perfect compliments for one another.

"This system is based on that," he said. "Nobody gave Mike Furrey the time of day last year but when you catch 103 balls Û me and him just fed off each other 1-2 and hopefully me and Calvin can do the same things. But he's going to have to beat out Mike Furrey for that position."

Williams paused for two seconds, then finished his remarks with a laugh, "Ha, ha."

Statistically Speaking

Some interesting stats from the Orlando draft camp on a bunch of measurables, including height with and without shoes, weight, wingspan, standing vertical and max vertical, etc. A couple of notes

• Without shoes, Thaddeus Young is not even 6'6" (6' 5.75")
• Without shoes, Javaris Crittenton is 6'3"
• Thad was faster than Crit in the 3/4 court sprint.
• There are about 80 potential NBA players on that list and not one of them had a standing vertical of 40" or more. Anyone even more in awe of Calvin Johnson at this point. "Freak" fits.
  

In other notes, Chad Ford indicated on his Blog that the Hawks are focusing on Brandon Wright with their #3 pick and possibly Javaris Crittenton with their #11 pick........................ Next week, the Bobcats have scheduled Corey Brewer, Julian Wright, Jeff Green and Thaddeus Young to work out against each other next week.......................... Javaris will work out for the Wizards Friday.

Where are they now - Calvin Johnson

Some interesting notes on the Lions working on fade routes now that they have additional weapons.

.... The Lions all last week in the OTA’s worked on adding this to their reservoir of plays. I witnessed it personally on Tuesday when I was allowed to be at practice but talked with players about it to see how it progressed. Because the information is proprietary and I certainly have no desire to hurt the Lions I am not going to give great specifics but here is what I can divulge.

Hypothetically let’s picture the Lions in a three wide set (CJ and Roy in the endzone and Furrey in the slot) and a TE and a back. They can send two much larger WR’s (Roy and CJ) towards the corners in a dangerous double fade route, Furrey across the middle and a TE in a quick route (simply moves to a middle slot just inside the endzone as fast as he can) as well as a RB in a flare (quickly moves parallel with the line of scrimmage) while the QB is in a shotgun set. The defense cannot double-team anyone. Critics will say that teams will use a zone blitz to defend it but a double fade and the ancillary type routes of the slot (middle) receiver, TE and RB simply takes such little time and spreads out the defense so much that there isn’t time. Kitna will have to identify the open man ASAP but that my friends is the biggest news out of the OTA’s that any of us could want.

I have told you that the Lions didn’t ignore this part of the offense but that they didn’t have the manpower for it. Now they do. Now you will see it as part of a redzone package that they worked on all last week.

I can tell you that Kitna didn’t throw one bad pass when they were practicing the fade and Orlovsky looked almost as good. People may ask why the fade route is so critical and here is that reason. It is the one play that is indefensible in the football game. If the receiver has size and is in single coverage, a perfectly thrown ball cannot be defended and the corner of the endzone insures that the WR gets his feet down in bounds. It is essentially the perfect play. One that the Lions couldn’t use and the fans were insane (rightfully) about.

Hoops - Thaddeus Young Snippet

From Andy Katz's blog:

"Right now, I want to play in the NBA."

That was the statement Georgia Tech freshman Thaddeus Young made to ESPN.com Friday afternoon in Orlando.

......................

Young told ESPN.com that he was mentally and physically ready to play in the NBA. But he, like all of these players, wants some sort of guarantee that he will be selected.

Everyone has their cutoff point. Young wouldn't say it was definitely the lottery, but the NBA personnel is under the assumption that he is in the draft to stay.

Nothing really new - but just a reminder to you that on two separate occasions I have indicted that both Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young would be gone and that you should prepare yourself for that fact and save the headache and heartache. I reiterate my position.................

Football - ACC Standings

Thought I would post the ACC football standings the past number of years. Any interesting conclusions? I find it interesting that only once has Clemson finished higher than Tech in the standings even though their fans have INCREDIBLY high expectations. I know we've had our ups-and-downs with Chan Gailey, but Clemson fan is hating life much more.

2006 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Wake Forest 6-2
2. Georgia Tech 7-1
3. Virginia Tech 6-2
4. Boston College 5-3
5. Maryland 5-3
6. Clemson 5-3
7. Virginia 4-4
8. Florida State 3-5
9. Miami (FL) 3-5
10. North Carolina 2-6
11. North Carolina State 2-6
12. Duke 0-8

2005 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Florida State 5-3
2. Virginia Tech 7-1
3. Miami (FL) 6-2
4. Boston College 5-3
5. Georgia Tech 5-3
6. Clemson 4-4
7. North Carolina 4-4
8. North Carolina State 3-5
9. Maryland 3-5
10. Wake Forest 3-5
11. Virginia 3-5
12. Duke 0-8

2004 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Virginia Tech 7-1
2. Florida State 6-2
3. Miami (FL) 5-3
4. Virginia 5-3
5. North Carolina 5-3
6. Georgia Tech 4-4
7. Clemson 4-4
8. North Carolina State 3-5
9. Maryland 3-5
10. Wake Forest 1-7
11. Duke 1-7

2003 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Florida State 7-1
2. Maryland 6-2
3. Clemson 5-3
4. Virginia 4-4
5. North Carolina State 4-4
6. Georgia Tech 4-4
7. Wake Forest 3-5
8. Duke 2-6
9. North Carolina 1-7

2002 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Florida State 7-1
2. Maryland 6-2
3. Virginia 6-2
4. North Carolina State 5-3
5. Georgia Tech 4-4
6. Clemson 4-4
7. Wake Forest 3-5
8. North Carolina 1-7
9. Duke 0-8

2001 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Maryland 7-1
2. Florida State 5-2
3. North Carolina 5-3
4. Georgia Tech 4-3
5. North Carolina State 4-4
6. Clemson 3-4
7. Wake Forest 3-5
8. Virginia 3-5
9. Duke 0-7

2000 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Florida State 8-0
2. Georgia Tech 6-2
3. Clemson 6-2
4. Virginia 5-3
5. North Carolina State 4-4
6. North Carolina 3-5
7. Maryland 3-5
8. Wake Forest 1-7
9. Duke 0-8

1999 FINAL ACC STANDINGS
1. Florida State 8-0
2. Georgia Tech 5-3
3. Clemson 5-3
4. Virginia 5-3
5. North Carolina State 3-5
6. Duke 3-5
7. Wake Forest 3-5
8. Maryland 2-6
9. North Carolina 2-6

If anyone wants to calculate the aggregate standing of all these records I'll post it here later.

Where are they now - Jeremy Slayden

A pretty detailed look at former beesball Jacket Jeremy Slayden.

Slayden does have some speed – being a combined ten for ten in stolen bases in Lakewood and Clearwater is either a display of luck or some skill – but he is clearly a masher. He’s a walks-and-home runs (and sub-par defense) kind of player in the mold of the pre-2004 Oakland A’s. (Recently the A’s have emphasized fielding and speed a little more in their personnel decisions.) This is the kind of player than Billy Beane builds teams around.

Not surprisingly, scouts have been slow to appreciate Slayden’s skills, if they do at all. Top Prospect Alert doesn’t rank Slayden in their pre-season Top Ten or even their mid-season Top Ten. Baseball America pretty much dismisses Slayden’s pro prospects all together. Gregory Golson, an inconsistent hitting speedster who plays in the outfield with Slayden, is rated at a Top Ten prospect by both publications. Golson is an athlete scouts see as having tools and potential. Slayden is all-wrong as a ballplayer, although the stats back him up. The Phillies, seemingly one of the more sabremetric-friendly franchises in baseball, don’t particularly seem to be interested in Slayden’s development either. While Costanzo seems poised to make a run on the Phillies roster in 2008, Slayden seems fated to spending 2008 in Reading and then 2009 in Allentown. If he even gets a chance at playing outfield for the Phillies, Jeremy Slayden will have to wait until 2010 at the earliest.

Tomorrow we’ll talk a little about the 2007 MLB Draft, but I want people to keep players like Jeremy Slayden in mind. Guys like Slayden are unheralded and ignored by scouts, but they perform time-and-again on the field and deserve attention as great ball players. My prediction is that Jeremy Slayden will have a better baseball career than Mike Costanzo. Let’s see if it happens …

Football - Confidence Showing

Jackets motivated by close, late losses | ajc.com

www.ajc.com/services/content/sports/gatech/stories...

"To know how close you were to a big fat ring on your finger ..." quarterback Taylor Bennett said. "I think we'll be conditioned enough to finish. I think people are going to be surprised at how we finish games now in the fourth quarters."

Anyone excited about the start of football season again?

Where are they now - Javaris Crittenton

JC will be working out for the Trailblazers June 27.

pdxtrailblazers.com/blog/?p=25

Here's some more on JC with quotes.