The Million Dollar Man and Unfriendly Space

As the Hokies start to ramp up spring practice, we outsiders have received trickles of information that have started us down the road of starting to formulate conclusions about the makeup of the 2012 Hokie football team. What are some of mine?

• First and foremost, reports from the initial scrimmage indicate that the defensive line (with limited participation by Gayle, Collins, and Derrick Hopkins) devestated the Hokie offensive line, with THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN Corey Marshall leading the way with 3 tackles, a sack, and by one account "he was in the backfield every play."
• We knew the OL would struggle early on, as they ALWAYS do in preseason and spring practice versus the Hokie DL. Chemistry is something developed, especially with line calls and movement. Legendary small college coach Fred Selfe once called offensive line play "the world's most painful ballet" (gosh dandy bullfrog!) and it takes practice, coordination, and muscle memory to accomplish. The few comments we have heard from Newsome continue to mark Vinston Painter as the shining light, while Brent Bennedict must really be struggling to have the coach drop a "space is not his friend" line into an interview. I still think the suprise of spring camp will be Matt Arkema, whose high school film showed a great deal of explosion and athleticism that should allow him to better engage a quick Hokies front four. Matchups can make some guys look great, and some bad. The lack of news about other promising guys (Gibson and Shuman) worries me. Another coach once told me as a player "If I talk about you or yell at you, it means I think you can contribute to this football team. If I don't say anything to you, start to worry." The lack of comments about both makes me think that the staff doesn't see them as contributors, while a kid like Jake Goins and Caleb Farris perhaps have passed both by.
• It appears that Jarrett is a lock to stay at free safety, with Bonner being the guy who moved back to field corner when Kyle Fuller tweeked a leg. I am eager to find out how Michael Cole fits in the mix, and who is the backup rover? Aromire isn't generating any chatter.
• I am looking forward to a gif of Corey Marshall wrecking a QB that says "Everybody Has A Price."

Dance.