ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football practiced and prepared for the annual spring game on Tuesday morning in Bobby Dodd Stadium with a two-hour session. After practice, receivers coach Kerry Dixon and a trio of his players, Malachi Carter, Nate McCollum and Kalani Norris met with the media to talk about spring ball.
Dixon said that spring ball has been a real uphill climb and the guys are working every day to get better, but they have a lot of new concepts and formations they are learning while trying to get lined up correct and play fast, so they have a lot of processing going on and he said they are having a lot of fun with Chip Long's offense and learning new stuff.
Dixon said when he watched film from last year he was bothered with the perimeter blocking and with Long's scheme and what he expects they had to make that a focal point this spring and he said they got way too many holding calls on WRs last year on the outside, they've made hand placement and footwork a focus on the blocking as well. He said his guys need to be smart on the outside blocking.
Dixon said he feels like his room is about 70% there in terms of learning and processing and getting lined up fast. He said they need to improve leveraging defenders and how they attack that based on what the call is.
Dixon said he is really proud of the three slot receivers, Nate McCollum, Malik Rutherford and Jamal Haynes as they've taken ownership of the position and what coach Long expects and the nuances of the position. He said all three have done a phenomenal job of creating separation and getting open and that is also a testament to the offense they now run as well as they are getting to do different things than in the past like option routes and learning how to leverage themselves to get open. He thinks that group is ahead of the curve right now.
Dixon said that James BlackStrain has been a pleasant surprise this spring and has put together one of the best springs of anyone on the team. He said they viewed him as a blank canvas when he got here just super raw talent and very hast with good hands and now he is starting to understand football more and what he needs to do at the LOS to create separation and finish on the ball.
Dixon said that Ryan King is another guy that is getting a ton of reps because of the numbers situation at WR with guys down and he had a great scrimmage on Saturday and has been building up his confidence. He is great on 50/50 balls downfield and he has to use his size and speed better because he is a big guy, he has to play big and he didn't do that when he got to GT. Now he is as that message is taking hold to play like a big WR.
Dixon said they have a lot of perimeter screens in the offense to get the ball out quickly and let all the WRs get in space and make plays and they think they are set up for that with personnel and it will give them a huge advantage in games and give the receivers more targets as well. They can answer better when teams do certain things against them like stack to stop the run.
Dixon said that DJ Moore has a work ethic that is second to none, he could tell that coming through the door. He lifted up the whole weight room during the offseason with his work ethic and then he studies everything and he really cares about being great. When DJ makes a mistake he cames back the next day and he won't do it again. Dixon said that he can translate what they do in individual work and do it in the team period and that is allowing him some early success on the outside. He still makes freshmen mistakes like running the wrong route, but he does everything at 100-percent/100 mph and that is what they want to see and that work ethic will carry him because has the care factor and that will take him over the top.
Dixon said that Kalani Norris is doing a really good job in the offense now playing the Z-position right now and that is a good fit for him playing more to the field. He is using his release techniques and improving his blocking on the outside and creating more separation than a lot of guys in the room. The reps have really helped him a lot.
Dixon said that Coach Weinke is doing an amazing job with Jeff SIms and he likes how the footwork they teach align with the concepts of the offense and Weinke has improved SIms' footwork and that has helped his accuracy a lot and Sims has a better understanding of where to go with the ball now and he has been doing a fantastic job with the new coaching understanding the concepts of footwork, ball placement, where the ball is supposed to go and how to place it there with the right type of throw, he said it has been great to see Jeff's development this spring.
Dixon said Malachi Carter has been limited the last few weeks in camp and they will have to make some of that up in the fall with him, but he is doing better and his level of experience is hard to teach and experience is the best teaching, so he is learning the new concepts and how to play fast within them and do it at a high-level and he thinks he will be a lot better this year than he was in the past.
Dixon said that spring ball has been a real uphill climb and the guys are working every day to get better, but they have a lot of new concepts and formations they are learning while trying to get lined up correct and play fast, so they have a lot of processing going on and he said they are having a lot of fun with Chip Long's offense and learning new stuff.
Dixon said when he watched film from last year he was bothered with the perimeter blocking and with Long's scheme and what he expects they had to make that a focal point this spring and he said they got way too many holding calls on WRs last year on the outside, they've made hand placement and footwork a focus on the blocking as well. He said his guys need to be smart on the outside blocking.
Dixon said he feels like his room is about 70% there in terms of learning and processing and getting lined up fast. He said they need to improve leveraging defenders and how they attack that based on what the call is.
Dixon said he is really proud of the three slot receivers, Nate McCollum, Malik Rutherford and Jamal Haynes as they've taken ownership of the position and what coach Long expects and the nuances of the position. He said all three have done a phenomenal job of creating separation and getting open and that is also a testament to the offense they now run as well as they are getting to do different things than in the past like option routes and learning how to leverage themselves to get open. He thinks that group is ahead of the curve right now.
Dixon said that James BlackStrain has been a pleasant surprise this spring and has put together one of the best springs of anyone on the team. He said they viewed him as a blank canvas when he got here just super raw talent and very hast with good hands and now he is starting to understand football more and what he needs to do at the LOS to create separation and finish on the ball.
Dixon said that Ryan King is another guy that is getting a ton of reps because of the numbers situation at WR with guys down and he had a great scrimmage on Saturday and has been building up his confidence. He is great on 50/50 balls downfield and he has to use his size and speed better because he is a big guy, he has to play big and he didn't do that when he got to GT. Now he is as that message is taking hold to play like a big WR.
Dixon said they have a lot of perimeter screens in the offense to get the ball out quickly and let all the WRs get in space and make plays and they think they are set up for that with personnel and it will give them a huge advantage in games and give the receivers more targets as well. They can answer better when teams do certain things against them like stack to stop the run.
Dixon said that DJ Moore has a work ethic that is second to none, he could tell that coming through the door. He lifted up the whole weight room during the offseason with his work ethic and then he studies everything and he really cares about being great. When DJ makes a mistake he cames back the next day and he won't do it again. Dixon said that he can translate what they do in individual work and do it in the team period and that is allowing him some early success on the outside. He still makes freshmen mistakes like running the wrong route, but he does everything at 100-percent/100 mph and that is what they want to see and that work ethic will carry him because has the care factor and that will take him over the top.
Dixon said that Kalani Norris is doing a really good job in the offense now playing the Z-position right now and that is a good fit for him playing more to the field. He is using his release techniques and improving his blocking on the outside and creating more separation than a lot of guys in the room. The reps have really helped him a lot.
Dixon said that Coach Weinke is doing an amazing job with Jeff SIms and he likes how the footwork they teach align with the concepts of the offense and Weinke has improved SIms' footwork and that has helped his accuracy a lot and Sims has a better understanding of where to go with the ball now and he has been doing a fantastic job with the new coaching understanding the concepts of footwork, ball placement, where the ball is supposed to go and how to place it there with the right type of throw, he said it has been great to see Jeff's development this spring.
Dixon said Malachi Carter has been limited the last few weeks in camp and they will have to make some of that up in the fall with him, but he is doing better and his level of experience is hard to teach and experience is the best teaching, so he is learning the new concepts and how to play fast within them and do it at a high-level and he thinks he will be a lot better this year than he was in the past.
