After seeing Georgia Tech drop its second straight game, I can't help but ask myself two things: what happened, and what should we do about it?  This isn't anything new either.  The offense has been abysmal since the second half of the UNC game, the defense is sporadic, and special teams have been anything but special.  

For over a month, defenses have, as "experts" like to point out after every loss, figured out how to stop the triple option.  With any offense, you try your hardest to take away what a team does best and force them to do what they do worst.  In Georgia Tech's 2011 offense, you force the weakest runner to carry the ball.  This season, that's the quarterback.  Without a threat on the ground at that position, teams can load up against the dive and attack the pitch, leaving the quarterback to fend for himself.  If this guy can run over someone and get 20+ yards a couple times, that won't happen anymore.  

In the passing game, the plays are there to be made, the protection is okay usually, but the pass-and-catch part doesn't happen.  Without consistency though, we get behind schedule in terms of down and distance, and secondary players can consistently attack the line of scrimmage without worrying about the big play behind them.

On defense, Jeremiah Attaochu makes all the difference.  He's a playmaker, and probably our best player.  The secondary is playing extremely well against the pass.  The weakness is up front on the line.  The defense, while playing well against the pass, has been inconsistent against the run.  Teams don't really need to pass against us to be effective.  I'm not that worried about the defense though, as they've played well this season for the most part.

Finally, special teams can be summed up in one word: abysmal.  What is it about these guys that they just can't do what they're supposed to do?  Paul Johnson supposedly "got involved" this offseason, but the players just aren't getting it.  The returners have made numerous mental errors (usually multiple times a game), and there hasn't really been much explosive plays anywhere (unless you're on the other team).  Kicking (both punt and place varieties) are terrible.   

As my boss sometimes says, though, "let's not focus on problems, let's focus on solutions."  Check the jump for my solutions.

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What do we think when we hear 2011 Georgia Tech Offense? How about record setting?...explosive?...video game-esque?  Perhaps if you've been asleep for a few weeks, that's what you'd say.  With the addition of an effective and, at times, explosive passing game, the offense seemed unstoppable as Georgia Tech rolled through it's early-season non-conference play.  Lately, the offense has returned to its 2010 level of effectiveness, relying on defense to win last week's game against Maryland.  However, this offense can still be effective, and we can all only hope that they pull it together as the schedule toughens in the coming weeks.  Well, let's look at the positions and how they're contributing to the offense's success in 2011.

Quarterback:

After the way 2010 ended, many of us were weary of the quarterback position for the 2011 season.  Joshua Nesbitt was a great competitor during his tenure, and Tevin Washington didn't look like anything special after being forced into action for the last four games of the season.  This season, however, he looks like his ceiling is even higher than Nesbitt's was.  Washington is passing with ease (at least until NC State and Maryland) and running the option offense effectively.  As Maryland showed us, Washington is not as effective of a runner as Nesbitt was, but he is capable.  Behind him, Synjyn Days has shown his ability as a runner in mop-up duty.  Being late in the game, however, he hasn't been given the chance to pass the ball much.  However, with Washington's execution of the offense and Days' promise as a backup, highly touted freshman Vad Lee will redshirt this season.  As Paul Johnson (approximately) said, "Lee will be better as a fifth year senior than a true freshman."

Unsung Hero: Tevin Washington (before the season, everyone was looking to replace him, but he has really performed well this season, especially passing the ball)

Season Outlook: B (while Washington isn't going to be a dominant runner, he's still effective, and get this...the passing game is back too)

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Now that we're approaching the bulk of ACC play this season, it's helpful to look at how we're doing on both sides of the ball.  What can we expect from the different position groups from this point on?  Who has surprised thus far?  Who has disappointed? 

This post will look at the defense after the jump.  I'll present the Unsung Hero, the Sung Turd (or whatever you would call the opposite of the Unsung Hero), and give a season outlook grade for each position.  We'll catch up with the offense later in the week.

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After an offseason of turmoil and uncertainty, Paul Johnson has made a decision.  Georgia Tech released their depth chart for the game against Western Carolina on Thursday night.  I'm sure the first thing you thought was, "what does acedarney think about this?"  Well, I'll alleviate your anxiety by telling you after the jump.

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Youth will be served on the Yellow Jackets' defense in 2011. This season, we will witness the beginning of potentially the best secondary Tech has ever had, and certainly the best since I started paying attention in 2002. This is an extremely young position group with all the talent and athleticism we could wish for. There is one huge question mark however: inexperience. Few of Tech's defensive backs have been defensive starters in games, and those with game experience are not as talented as the younger players (this sounds like every other position on this roster, doesn't it?). So, who are these people of which I talk so highly? The listed starters are:

CB: Rod Sweeting, Louis Young

S: Isaiah Johnson, Rashaad Reid

Because none of the other players have had much game time, we have to use other means to judge our players. Corners rely on their athleticism more than anything else. If those guys can shine in practice, then they can also shine in games (usually). The key to judging safeties early in their careers is to look at their performance on special teams (key examples: Jamal Lewis and Chris Reis). Because I'm not on campus anymore and have to watch the games on TV, I don't have as good of a feel as I did in the past, but when a guy is making plays, you notice. Let's get to it.

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Editor's Note: Front Paged from the FanShots earlier this afternoon.

Today, in order to get away from the talks of NCAA sanctions and whatnot, I'd like to turn your attention to the upcoming football season and what we'll be seeing on the field. I'd like to do a comparison of the players available to us at several positions, but this took me over a week to put together (in several 5-10 minute sessions), so I'm not sure how many position groups I'll get to. I'll do the most important positions first so it won't matter if I don't get to all groups before fall practices start up.

Probably the most important position battle this summer has been the quarterbacks. We have a seasoned veteran who has played okay, but hasn't performed up to the level of his predecessor. We have a young, redshirt freshman that is more athletic, but he doesn't have near the experience, and mistakes will be expected if he starts this season. After the end of last season, where Tech's Achilles heel was redzone turnovers and ineffective passing, more mistakes from a freshman will probably put the team back a little. Finally, a true freshman is coming to campus that has shown the skills to be a great quarterback in this offense, but he's so unproven, no one is sure what to expect when he starts going against real competition.

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