Football springs into action

In the two weeks since school returned from break, football continued to improve in spring practice. They are beginning to fill in the gaps left by last year ' s seniors and are building on the strength of the team ' s veterans.

The coming season is shaping up to be one of Tech ' s best. All of this year ' s returning starters have performed well in practice and fresh faces are stepping up. However, many of the concerns shared last year by fans and alumni have yet to be worked out.

Tech ' s largest issues in the coming season will undoubtedly come from the areas it has lost the most starters at - wide receiver and the offensive line. These past two weeks, the Jackets have seen growth in both positions, but they are certainly not settled.

Calvin Johnson has locked up the starting job at the " Z " wide receiver position, and journeyman Damarius Bilbo appears to be the frontrunner to start on the other side of the field at the " X. "

" I think [Johnson] is a big plus for us. I think [Bilbo] is running our ' X ' with James Johnson over there. Chris Dunlap ' s running the other ' Z ' behind Calvin, [along with] Xavier [McGuire], those top five right now are doing a pretty good job for us, " Wide Receiver Coach Buddy Geis said after practice on Tuesday.

It is safe to say that Johnson has built on his impressive freshman season and continues to be a star for the Jackets. In a play in Tuesday ' s practice, Johnson was guarded tightly by the defense, and when a ball intended for him was intercepted, Johnson quickly stripped the ball from the defender in one motion before he could fall to the ground, popping it into the air and catching it for a completion.

" I think Calvin is actually playing better right now than he did last year, which is really good to hear, " Geis said. " I ' d say [to the quarterbacks] ' read the coverages, ' but, when you can, throw the ball to No. 21, and he ' ll make a play for you. "

The same accolades cannot yet be given the team ' s other receivers. Damarius Bilbo, Chris Dunlap, James Johnson and others have all improved, but in Tuesday ' s practice alone there were three or four times when well-thrown balls bounced off of a receiver ' s hands or were dropped outright.

" [Bilbo] is getting better and better at the ' X ' . He is going to get a lot of reps there. I think James Johnson will challenge him, but it will be a good challenge and they both know it, " Geis said. " The best guy [will win]. Come early next fall, probably about 10 or 15 days into fall practice, I will decide on my ' X ' starter and go with him the rest of the time and the other guy will be a backup. "

The offensive line has also been struggling to come together. However, last year ' s season began with the line in quite the same position they are now, and after Tech ' s victory at Clemson no one dared question the offensive line ' s ability. Experience says that Coach D ' Alessandris and the mammoth players stacking Tech ' s front line will have everything worked out by the beginning of the season, as witnessed by improvement throughout the spring.

" We ' re coming on slowly. They ' ve been here but they haven ' t had much experience and they ' ve been playing some guys after different positions, so that ' s a position that ' s probably going to take all of spring and next fall for those kids, " Geis said. " Actually they do things good at times and then they ' ll miss some assignments, but I think they are gradually getting better. "

In brief scrimmages during Tech ' s practices, the offensive line looked strong and came out with intensity. There were points when the defensive line seemed to completely overwhelm them, but the offense fought back. The strength of the defense they must battle has made team scrimmage the part of practice that has seemed to benefit the offensive line the most.

Unlike the other areas of the offense, the backfield seems to have more good players than it knows what to do with. P.J. Daniels, Chris Woods and Rashaun Grant are among a few of the returning players who will be carrying the ball for the Jackets.

Last year ' s only loss for the backfield was senior tailback Jimmy Dixon, and his spot will be the most fought for. Already getting a few looks are Ajenavi " Ace " Eziemefe, sophomore Mike Cox and redshirt freshman Justin Guadagni.

" Neither one of them has been on the field consistently, " Head Coach Chan Gailey said of Eziemefe and Cox after practice on Tuesday. " That was the great thing about Jimmy Dixon - he was there every snap. "

As of Friday last week, a new player will be fighting for a spot in the backfield, a native of Georgia and a transfer from Oklahoma, Tashard Choice.

" [I am focusing on] anything I can do to get better as far as pass blocking. There are other things to being a running back, so I can be a better football player on the field, " Choice said after practice.

Choice, originally from Riverdale, Ga., enrolled at Tech in January after transferring from Oklahoma. He appealed to the NCAA and was granted a waiver last Friday due to extenuating family circumstances that necessitated him to move close to his home. Choice spent two seasons at Oklahoma, including a redshirt year in 2003. He will have three seasons of eligibility at Tech, beginning next fall.

" We ' ll give him more work now that it ' s a definite, " Gailey said. " He ' s done a great job thus far. He ' s been one of the more impressive players in spring practice. "

Spring practice has also seen some changes at quarterback for Tech. The most obvious of which is the temperament and consistency of Reggie Ball. Though Ball has yet to go through a practice without making a minor mistake, the change in his approach and attitude are obvious.

" We just keep building on. I know a lot of fans are tired of hearing that, but that is what we are doing, " Ball said after practice on Tuesday. " It ' s a slow process and we keep building on as a team and building on with experience and we are putting it together. "

Ball has read the defense with better ability this spring and has improved in his accuracy, especially at long ranges. There is still a lot of work ahead for Ball, but the arrogance and mistakes he seemed to carry with him last year seem to have disappeared.

When asked if he felt like the team had anything to prove this year, Ball said, " No. Just got to go out there and play some football. "

The defense is proving yet again to be the real strength for Tech. Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta has consistently built one of the best defensive programs in the country, and this year seems to be no different.

" Coach Tenuta is very aggressive and that is how we feel. We run a pretty aggressive defense, " cornerback Reuben Houston said after practice. " We don ' t want to give the quarterback any chance to make any reads; we disguise a lot. "

The loss of senior free safety James Butler has been of some concern, but it has not seemed to dampen any of the player ' s spirits about the upcoming season. In fact the defense has never been more alive.

In practice every loss of a yard invokes some kind of celebration from the defensive line and more often than not rookie quarterbacks Kyle Manley and Taylor Bennett have difficulty finding an open receiver against the unit.

" We feel like we are pretty solid back there we are just working on doing the little things right - eliminate and minimize mistakes and come together as a unit like we were last year, " Houston said. " We are basically looking to gel at the position we are in right now. "

Although the team ' s performance this spring has been encouraging, they still have a long way to go before they start the season at Auburn. Their next practice is this afternoon.