Georgia Tech QBs will dispel ‘myth’ about throwing skills, offensive coordinator says

Perhaps the spring transition of the Georgia Tech offense from the triple-option to the spread attack is going faster than expected.

On Thursday, new offensive coordinator David Patenaude was almost giddy about the progress that’s been made after the Yellow Jackets completed the second day of spring practice.

Patenaude is confident the team will be able to successfully make the transition from an option team that runs the ball 85 percent of the time to a spread team that equally distributes the ball between passes and runs.

“The development is going to come over the course of the spring, but we looked like a spread football team,” he said. “For a team that’s been a triple-option team for the last 10 years, if you didn’t know that and just came and watched our practice, you’d say, ‘That’s a pretty good spread team.’”

Patenaude also refuted the claim from outsiders that the three quarterback candidates on his roster this spring aren’t fit to run the position in his new attack because they were option-style quarterbacks. He’s heard people say they rarely had to throw the ball under former coach Paul Johnson and had limited choices to make on the field.

“The myth is these (quarterbacks) are running guys who can’t throw,” Patenaude said. “If you watched our practice, that’s a fallacy. Those three guys can all throw the football.

“Now, they don’t know what the heck they’re doing. They’re looking around, maybe looking the wrong way. … But all three of those guys are good.”

The three hopefuls, none of which were option quarterbacks before arriving to Georgia Tech, all have strengths:

• Warner Robins native Tobias Oliver is an excellent runner who has played significant minutes and achieved significant results..

• Lucas Johnson was good enough to be listed as second-string a year ago before he injured his foot. He’s bigger and probably has the strong arm.

• James Graham played a bit last year and is widely considered the best all-around athlete of the group.

Patenaude said the goal is to field a balanced team, one that rushes as often as it passes. But he’s also pragmatic enough to know they’ll do what gives them the best chance to win.

“A good offense is going to be one that can move the ball,” he said. “If we’re better throwing it, we’re going to throw it a little more. If we’re better running it, we’re going to run it a little. I believe you’ve got to have balance in offense and you have to play to the strengths of your quarterback and offensive line.”

From teaching formations and alignments to where the wide receivers line up, a lot of attention in the off-season was spent on fundamentals, Patenaude said.

“A great offense is going take place when your offensive understanding and your defensive understanding meet,” he said. “For the quarterback, once he understands what the defense is trying to do and what they’re trying to take away, it’s really easy for him to manipulate the defense. “