Everything Offensive Coordinator Chip Long had to say After Thursday's Practice
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Georgia Tech concluded another round of practice on Thursday and afterward, offensive coordinator Chip Long spoke to the media and answered questions.
Here is everything that he had to say.
1. On how the installation of the offense is going and how the players are adapting...
"I think they are doing a great job. We are lucky this summer the NCAA allowed us to have two hours a week, being on the field with them in the installation and being able to carry that from what we did in the spring over has helped us a great deal. The kids have done a good job and we like to be able to install a lot early and see what we can build off of it. I think there might have been one day where we kinda pulled back off of it, but I have been very pleased by what they have been able to handle and execute at a high level but they have done a great job since the moment spring ball has been over and through the summer and up to today."
2. On if the offense has an advantage in practice with 1-on-1s...
"Yeah, with the way that Jeff is throwing, we do. I don't ever go out to 1-on-1s, I am with the big fellas for the inside run, I think it is important that their coordinator is down there so they know the importance of the physicality and how much we believe in running the ball. But you know it's been back and forth, one day the receivers have had a good day, and one day the DBs have had a good day, so it has been a good, healthy competition, but anytime your quarterback is going, it is hard to stop that."
3. On the slot receivers possibly changing the gameplans...
"We're so early, you know fall camp, the first 14 days, I am all about Georgia Tech, galvanizing this offense, and the next two weeks, we will be getting ready for our first opponent. We'll move them all over the place, find out what they are good at, what they might have a knack for. Those three have been doing a nice job since spring ball, they have good twitch for their size, they are strong with the ball, they don't seem to get hit, you would like them to be able to get bigger just to be able to take care of themselves. All three of those guys love football and they love to practice and compete and they have just been fun to coach."
4. On if it is fair to say if Tech is going to be a run-first offense...
"Yeah, we would love to. I mean obviously, we always want to establish the run, I mean if we can't run, we are going to be hurting. That is the mentality that we would like to have, with our ability to play a little bit of tempo and our RPO and it kinda bounces out pretty good, but you always want to be about 60-40 run pass, but a lot of that dictates the defense we play. You know, if it's an eight-man box or 2i, it can be different. One game you might be hot running the ball or Jeff might be hot throwing it, so you always want to play to their strengths. But we want to be a run first team and I just believe that helps you win the fourth quarter and helps close out games."
5. On how the offense has changed since last year...
"I really have not considered or cared about what they did last year, I know what it looks like and I know what it sounds like. I know what working hard looks like when a kid is training and doing what I want, trying to meet the standard of what I want and I think these guys have done a good job, just from the spring, a lot of it was new, to the summer and during these first six practices, I think they are getting comfortable with me and my style and at the end of the day, I am blessed with an unbelievable coaching staff and I have been really pleased with that and the way that they have handled each group, you can see that and the kids have a lot of confidence and they are playing well and you can see that. But you know, it is all about what kind of effort, what kind of physicality and our ability to play smart, winning football. The things that I harp on the most is penalties, snaps, taking care of the ball, I don't think we can talk about that enough, especially if you want to win close games, so that is what we are going to have to do."
6. On his level of confidence in the offensive line...
"I have been really pleased. I think they did a great job from the moment spring ball got over, we still had about a month or a little over a month before they were able to leave and they did a great job in the weight room. Our offense starts there and I think they really devoted themselves this summer, they all got stronger, they all got more confident, they all trimmed up when they needed to trim up and they are seeing the benefits of it. Obviously, you add a couple of the transfers, Paul Tchio is back in the mix, so you are getting bigger and stronger and guys who have played some football. But I think just their body make-up and confidence they have in their bodies is really different from where it was in the spring and you can see it. We are not flopping on the ground, missing and they are just getting more and more confident each and every day."
7. On his familiarity with receivers coach Del Alexander...
"It is huge. Me and Del, we have been in a lot of wars together, I think this is his third tour of duty with me, so just having him there is such a comfort level for me. He knows what I am about, what my dislikes and likes are and he is a great coach, he is a great teacher, the kids are gonna believe in him, in the physicality that you have to have to play that position if you want to be a great player. But you know not even just Del. Chris Weinke, Brent Key, just our entire staff, being able to bring Jim Chaney in, who is a good friend of mine, to be an analyst. It is one of the better staffs that I have ever been a part of. The chemistry and the way that we get along and communicate, it has been a lot of fun and very refreshing."
8. On if the tight ends will be a big part of the offense this season...
"Absolutely. I have been pleased with them. Some of them had a slow start, which is normal with the install. I think they get more comfortable, but I really like the way they have and the offensive line have really helped their bodies. They have been able to sustain drives and collisions they weren't able to in the spring and there is good competition there. I feel good about the three guys that we have that can play, with Peje', Dylan, and Luke. Obviously, Billy Ward is coming on and we need him to keep growing up. Most places I have had about two and a half guys play, so being able to have a deep role, enables us to keep guys fresh and healthy and still play at a high level. But you know, there is a long ways to go and they gotta keep elevating their game, being a little more consistent catching the ball and that is probably the biggest disappointment, but I can live with that, we can get that taught. But I have really enjoyed their physicality and how hard they are working."
9. On how to fix Georgia Tech's issues in the red zone...
"We wanna run the ball down there. I am a firm believer that if you want to score touchdowns down there, you have to have a great run game. You gotta believe that when we get down there that we are scoring touchdowns. Obviously, what they do defensively, we have to have answers for but you want to have the ability for the quarterback to be an option down there and he is not really accounted for so that is a great asset. There are teams that I have had where a lot of those runs have been by quarterbacks and that helps. It's a mentality, it is being able to sustain the drive and finish the drive and get in the end zone. We don't want to settle for field goals. Our ability to run the ball into the end zone sets us apart."
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