With a critical ACC Coastal matchup looming in Atlanta this weekend, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson indirectly exchanged words in separate press conferences this week.
It all began Tuesday when Cutcliffe was asked why only a small number teams, including Georgia Tech, choose to run the triple option.
"No. 1 you have to have the knowledge of anything run. There are less people who have been around it. You are not going to teach something that you are not sure what you are teaching," Cutcliffe said in Tuesday's press conference. "It is a little more diffcult to recruit high end players. If you are a defensive player on that team you are really not excited about Spring Practice and you are not seeing what you are going to see in pro ball."
Cutcliffe discussed the situation further when asked about the Yellow Jacket receiving corps, including the explosive DeAndre Smelter, who has 14 receptions for 339 yards and four touchdowns this season.
"They are not anything like Calvin Johnson or Demaryius Thomas," Cutcliffe said. "None of [Johnson and Thomas] would have gone to Georgia Tech in that offense. End of story. They are good players, but they are not those kind of guys. It was a nightmare with Thomas. I have worked with him a bunch, I know how good he is."
Johnson fired back Wednesday, telling the Atlanta Journal Constitution, "How many receivers have they put in the NFL? I can tell you. None. They’ve had one offensive player (drafted by) the NFL in his six years there. … He probably ought to worry about his own business.”
Three former Yellow Jacket receivers who have played for Paul Johnson—Stephen Hill, Thomas and Kevin Cone—currently play in the NFL, in addition to a flurry of offensive lineman, backs and defensive players. On the other hand, Duke does not currently have a receiver in the NFL. Former Blue Devil Connor Vernon has had stints with the Raiders and Browns, but is currently a free agent.
The one Duke offensive player who was drafted, quarterback Sean Renfree, became the first Blue Devil to be drafted in nine years in 2013. He is currently a reserve for the Falcons.
Johnson ended his commentary on the subject with some advice for Cutcliffe.
“I would think he’s got enough problems of his own,” Johnson said. “He ought to worry about his own problems instead of helping us with ours. We’ve done pretty good against him so far.”
Johnson did have a point. Cutcliffe has not beaten Georgia Tech during his tenure in Durham, and suffered a 38-14 loss at Wallace Wade Stadium last year.
But it was Cutcliffe who clarified the situation, saying Wednesday that he didn't mean to offend Johnson, rather he wanted to speak about the common goal for many college football players: the NFL.
"We're dealing with young people today that think about the NFL, talk about the NFL, and so any of us that are a little different, we have the same circumstance here in who we can recruit and do recruit," Cutcliffe said. "So what it does, and certain kids, Coach Johnson would tell you the same thing. Certain kids don't like to think about playing in that type of system. So I think that clarifies it just fine."
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