A crushing blow: Justin Fuente announces TE James Mitchell will miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed damage to his right knee that will require surgery. Mitchell, the #Hokies' most versatile offensive weapon, got hurt on a goal-line carry against Middle Tennessee.— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) September 13, 2021
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Well poop
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RIP, 2021 passing attack. We barely got to know you
A devastating blow, but we weren't getting the ball to him a ton anyhow, unfortunately. Wish him a speedy recovery.
I am still (foolishly) thinking that we are holding parts of the playbook back and that he was going to be a primary focus of the attack once we opened it up.
I don't think it's foolish to think parts of the playbook were being held back, but I doubt the Mitchell part.
I'm implying that its foolish to think that Corny has much of anything else up his sleeve
I haven't seen any of the shallow crosses or rub routes that we had a ton of last year
That's been by design. Expect that to change this week.
I expected more against UNC since they like to play press man.
Why can't we have nice things
Because we recruit poorly and can't keep our good players on the team, and therefore have no depth on the roster.
I know your question was rhetorical, but I just wanted to make everyone feel even worse.
sounds like noise to me
Literally everything in my first sentence is accurate. The second sentence was meant as gallows humor.
But hey, good job policing the post about our best player getting hurt by making sure no one says anything negative. We can't have that on a college sports message board.
kindly see my reply to krak_t below
But why? The original comment was why cant we have nice things? Meaning, we had a nice upperclassman TE talent and now we don't. While the recruiting woes are valid and well known without reminder, it doesn't really apply to this specific position.
Every thread has at least one comment complaining about our recruiting. We're 2-0, but UNC was overrated and we played like crap against MTSU even though we covered the spread after giving up a garbage TD. We're ranked 15th, but we don't deserve it. I know we're far from perfect, but jeez.
I'm sorry for James and I'm sorry for the team, and I'm sorry that in every thread someone feels the need to rehash this crap.
As does this.
might just be me, but i feel like moderating comes with being a moderator. the CGs say watch the signal to noise ratio and try to contribute something constructive. i felt the above comment really did neither. it's not really about this injury to this player and it acknowledges it's adding nothing to the conversation
From the CGs:
I think you make a perfectly sound judgement call.
I know that the edges of the CGs get painted over all the time in comments, so it bears to reason it would in mod feedback as well.
Snark is inevitable and by definition adds nothing substantive to a Convo, but it can lighten the mood.
With that point of view, I thought his comment was harmless but certainly subjectivity in the application of CGs gives valid room for different interpretation.
I snarked at you which was a bit churlish. If I was that interested, I should have made this sort of response instead. Personal time allowance and the nature of the internet often invites the kind of throwaway comments that don't age well.
I appreciate the work you guys do, and also the self policing the community does.
Bad call from my perspective Gobbles. Respect that moderating is a onerous gig and you're trying to set some standards, but if your reasoning is for "noise" then why not comment on Alums post above "RIP 2021 passing attack"? Stevetheking's reply explainjng his opinion was at least informative beyond a hyperbolic definitive. And I agree with him that that is the reason. We have recruited poorly and it has left us in a position where one hit to our starting 11 is potentially devastating.
+1s to Steve's comments here. IMO they shouldn't be blurred.
EDIT: I have nothing against Alum's post either
Joe has specifically asked to limit throwing program short comings in people's faces on unrelated threads. The tragedy of losing a player to a season ending injury should have nothing to do with recruiting and in this case isnt even applicable as we do have respectable depth at tight end. Moderating is tough and over moderating would be a drag. I am perfectly ok with pointing it out somewhat randomly to help the community at large. Just my $0.02, legs all around.
then you need to apply that rule to every comment on here that is doing the same, such as Alum's, or the many below that include "well that's a kick in the dick".
Further, I don't read this at throwing anything in anyone's face.
I'm not familiar with Steve's history of comments. Maybe he regularly throws shade and there is historical bias here, no idea, but this comment is no more noise than any other in this thread.
Finally, I see your response about how he shouldn't comment on recruiting because it isn't related. But that's your opinion. you're entitled to it, and so is Steve. But to be clear, he isn't relating the depth issues as the cause of the injury. That's only what you are reading it as. He's commenting on the OG post of "why can't we have nice things", which is technically also noise if you want to be fair, and giving his tongue in cheek reason/opinion of which is valid.
i made my thoughts pretty clear above, just gonna further clarify and lock this subthread since it's getting pretty meta and off-topic. my issue with the comment was how it acknowledges that its only purpose was to bring the mood down even more. If i missed some obvious attempt at humor there, that's on me but it still doesn't read that way to me. I didn't nuke it, just pointed out that it's noise and followed up afterwards with the explanation and CGs: it wasn't a reaction to the news (feels like a kick in the balls, why can't we have nice things, all we wanted to see was a win vs MTSU with no injuries), it wasn't a discussion of the implications of the news (RIP 2021 passing attack, need to see gallo and deiuliis sttep up, potential recovery timeframe), it was a stray potshot at recruiting and retention.
I'll point back to the refresher that vtcivengr referenced above, granted it was not exactly recent
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2020/december/26/meta-refresher-noise...
I think Wright and possibly Gosnell is a really good duo for the 2022 class (unless we miss on Gosnell and Wright goes somewhere else) this season TE is at Spooky szn cause we haven't really the youngins behind Mitchell get playing time
Wright is very much in the Mitchell mold as he is almost more of a WR than a true TE, but can still be utilized as one. I am quite worried about holding onto him, as I am with several others in our class. Hopefully the reduced numbers around the country help us hold onto some of these guys I expect to rise through their senior seasons.
Wright probably gonna be around a 88-89 before its all said and done
A few strong recruiting years will work wonders with this sentiment.
How did we get here from "thigh bruise?????"
I said in the other thread, he seemed off the first couple of games and may have been playing with a bad knee this whole time. The hit just made the inevitable happen.
So you're thinking he had the injury from fall camp, and only discovered it because of this injury? Sounds like a meniscus tear or something.
*trumpets play* Hello darkness my old friend...
Seems like he's in okay spirits though.
You have my Prayers 🙏 for a Full Recovery, Mr. Mitchell. Take care and don't rush the healing process!
Yeah he'll be back....but not at Virginia Tech.. 🥺
absolutely awful -- really really feel for him
Son of a biscuit!
I feel this. Stellar GIF selection 👌
Really need Gallo and DeIuliis to step up
And Blumrick??? Wouldn't be overly surprised if they throw him in some H Back sets but its also dangerous with a paper thing qb room.
Edit: the more I think about this the more I see this as a good void for him to fill. That sweep play and motion has been effective within the 10 for JM and I don't think Gallo has the wheels to be a threat to run it.
This is a big loss, but I'm confident in Gallo and maybe Deluliis to step up and make plays.
On one hand, it's not good to lose a playmaker like this. On the other hand, has Cornelson shown the ability to use a playmaker like Mitchell that will make to drop from him to the other tight ends really matter?
Maybe I'm just trying to keep myself from crying.
The answer to your question is yes.
Anyone know if it was meniscus vs ACL/MCL? That's what I heard, which is good for him (I know it's bad, but that's a much faster recovery and easier surgery). Hopeful for him it's meniscus vs something else...
FYI, I've torn my ACL and meniscus in my knee on separate occasions. Previously in meniscus tears, they would basically just cut it out and you'd be recovered in 4 or so weeks. But you'll have long term effects. Now, they will occasionally repair the meniscus when possible. This is a much longer recovery because it needs to heal, but less long term effects.
My ACL took about 9 months before it felt good. Meniscus was about 6 months. But I am also not a collegiate athlete.
So, just because it may be meniscus, don't automatically assume he could be back. I would never fault a person who sacrificed the season to avoid long term health issues.
Got it. Meniscus has variability yes, but for an athlete it's far less complex of a rehab. I'm not implying he will be back this year - I'm simply saying it's better for his long term health as an athlete due to its almost always significantly less severe.
Agreed. 👍
Man we have pretty much the same experience but they were able to repair my meniscus when that was injured. Took about 6 months.
ACL was about 7 months but that was me being dumb.
Yea, the 6 months was for him to repair my meniscus too. It feels good now. Still gets sore and not full range of motion. I'm amazed at how athletes can ever go back to taking hits on repaired knees.
So what the doctor told me when I tore my meniscus is that the repair is only possible if you're still young (still have growth plates in you knees I think), and at some point the repair becomes impossible and you have to either cut it out or live with the tear. Mitchell is what, 21/22? He might actually be too old for a meniscus repair.
I had my meniscus repaired in my mid 20s. I was told that what it comes down to is severity of damage and whether or not it is repairable or not. To much damage during the tear and they take it out.
Yes, this is what I was told too. I had my meniscus repaired when I was 33. If it's shredded there is nothing they can do, only cut it out. If it's a clean tear, they can try to reattach it.
Interesting, maybe I need a second opinion lol. I chose the "live with it" option because I thought repair wasn't on the table.
I've heard ACL. Not sure of a full or partial tear, but haven't heard anything other than ACL.
Sure hope not.
Man this one hurts.
Cheers to a speedy recovery, James! You know Hokie Nation will back you up with whatever you choose to do next year.
I was really hoping to use,"THE GOVERNOR HAS VETO POWER!" again. Prayers for a speedy recovery to the governor
Thats a kick to the dick.
best show on tv
Concur. I've been binging the shit out of it in the past week or so. Almost done, so not sure what I'm going to watch next. Maybe Schmigadoon.
Check Mythic Quest which is also on Apple TV.
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Well hopefully he can get a medical redshirt if he wants to come back for a Super-Awesome Senior year.
0 chance. Dude is going to get PAID next year
Missing all of this season is not going to help his draft stock. It will be interesting for him.
He was a 4th to 6th round pick last year. And now he is going to have the "injury prone" tag put on him even if it is unfairly done. He will have to come back next year again.
I agree. He could roll the dice and take his chance but he hasn't shown he is NFL ready yet although he is a weapon we will miss this season.
I agree and I wonder if the NIL makes this an easier decision for players who truly could improve their draft stock by playing more. In the past, people may have moved to the NFL too early (Jarod Evans) in an effort to improve their lives with a steady paycheck...quite frankly a decision any of us would make.
Now with the ability to generate income in college it may be wise for a few players to play as long as they absolutely can...with the caveat of injuries always looming.
From what we've seen made publicly available, I don't think NIL will influence many if any players to stay another year. If you're a star player from one of the blue bloods, you might make some decent money, but I can't imagine the NIL money would come close to comparing to a rookie contract. Using the Evans example, I don't think it would have mattered. How much money would he really be pulling in? If his family needed additional financial support, the NFL contract probably looks like a better option. There are always many factors when deciding to stay or leave for the draft, but I personally don't see NIL money making a significant impact.
My goal for MTSU was to win and not have any catastrophic injuries. This is the type of stuff that happens during almost every football season, it's like walking through a mine field.
While losing Mitchell sucks, we do have competent depth at that position. It's a huge hit to the team but not backbreaking for the season. Still have faith we can overcome this one even though it's one of our best players.
I agree with the outlook, but it doesn't change the fact that we just lost talent that was likely (still is) heading to the NFL. Although losing Mitchell isn't nearly as bad as that loss that aTm is dealing with right now, it still sucks.
Damn, this really sucks. I'm hoping Eric Gallo can contribute to some more Pass-catching...where is Keli Lawson's development at? Get the Freshman Receivers in there.
When it rains, it pours...
Hot conspiracy take - Dan Snyder broke the pipe himself to help his claim that they need a new stadium.
In typical Snyder fashion I wouldn't be surprised if he charges those who were in those seats not only for the full price of the ticket for the game, but also for any kind of cleaning needing to be done to that area in the aftermath
Plus made them pay to replace those poor beers that were directly downstream...
That's a kick in the you-know-where.
This just sucks. Such a great guy and a great athlete - was really pulling for him to have a breakout year this year. He seems to be in good spirits and I'm sure he'll make a full recovery, but this is just awful for James and his family. Thoughts and prayers and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Hate it for James. This was the year he could have made that big leap in his skillset to become a likely first/second day draft pick and get that nice rookie signing bonus. While an ACL isn't a death knell on a career, it is going to be very challenging to come back from and then go into the draft as an unknown, or come back and risk no pay day at all. I hope he gets the best surgeon and rehabilitation tomorrow.
Big blow to the offense. Hope James makes a full recovery and gets a big paycheck next year. Never liked running him on those power sweeps at the goal line. We have plenty of big power backs to fill that role.
You locked the thread because I disagreed with you? come on. poor form Gobbles.
The magic of TKP has always been the threads that went off-topic. Yeah, lots go off the rails but many also take TKP somewhere fun that makes this place better tahn other fan sites. We wouldn't have "pussytouchdowns" or "get fully dipped" without allowing conversations to go beyond the limited scope of what the interpreted primary topic is.
Respectfully and completely disagree with your decision here.
He didn't lock the subthread because it went off-topic or simply because you disagree with him. He locked the subthread because there has been an extremely consistent slew of off-topic tangents specific to bashing recruiting, Fuente, and/or Cornelsen, notably it has been happening in largely unrelated threads. At its peak it was damn near every thread, including basketball threads.
In a vacuum making a comment about the recruiting in relation to Mitchell's injury is relatively harmless. In this specific context where the sentiment in question has been repeated ad nauseam, and in many threads where it's only an indirect or loose correlation at all, we have been instructed to treat these specific tangents as noise.
I don't think there have been any instances of dorkmagic and fully dipped-ness being squashed by locking subthreads that turn into FuCorn/recruiting rants.
and yet I wasn't bashing. Just disagreeing. hmm.....
also, pointing to the refresher on noise it specifically states:
As I said that covers many of the posts here that only provide thin comments, such as (and not picking on it) "well that's a kick in the dick" or "RIP passing game 2021".
It also states:
I get it. People don't want to hear more negativity about recruiting, and yet our recruiting has been poor. In the context to the post Steve was replying to it makes sense. Just randomly posting this everywhere becomes noise.
If you are going to point to a rule and apply it. Then apply it equally.
does starting another subthread to discuss what does or doesnt constitute noise after one subthread got locked due to a discussion of what constitutes noise after the explanation for why it was deemed noise was given twice count as noise? asking for this situation right here
we are so hands off as a mod team that it boggles my mind that the reaction to a little gentle reminder of the rules -- no nuke, no ban, no trouble, no time out, just an informal "sounds like noise to me" comment -- is met with asking us to more closely moderate everywhere or don't do it at all.
the other subthread was locked, just let it go and have the upvotes and downvotes (on my comments included!) fall as they may.
I considered starting an OffTopic Post to fit the "rules" but that seemed unnecessary.
I totally respect the effort you put in Gobbles. I just disagree with this application. That seems like a valid conversation to have. Not trying to blow up a thread or subthread. But I disagree with locking down something that was a conversation that didn't include insults, diatribe or thin comment noise just because it was off the original subthread topic and disagreed with your comment.
Let it go. Without intending to you are undermining what should be basically invisible moderation. The fact that several are split down the line here is proof that it is a fuse for polarization and that it isn't a big enough deal to be so concerned about it. That said, I am shutting up now.
wow... ok look,
I am not undermining anything. Even Gobbles original post "sounds like noise to me" is according to the rules he is pointing to "noise". That already undermined his own application of the rules.
I just disagreed with it and did so politely.
Nevermind.
I forget. What was this topic about? That's it JAMES MITCHELL BEING OUT FOR THE SEASON. Not recruiting or someone that wants to die on the MODs hurt my feelings hill. JAMES MITCHELL IS OUT FOR THE YEAR!!!!!!!. Hoping for a speedy recovery and the best for James and his family. Go Hokies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would have been nice to have him on the goal line at WVU!
100% agree.....at least for something other than a jet sweep. Hope James' recovery is speedy and complete. He certainly looked good standing there on the sideline.