That last statement is pretty telling though, Bud usually doesn't heap praise on his own defenses, but you can tell how upset he was that this defense is going to get overlooked years to come because of failings elsewhere.
Also liked the tid bit about ways to keep improving recruiting. Thanks for the article Andy.
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Good to see Foster calling out the special teams last year; three of the seven non-defensive touchdowns he mentions came from the Alabama game, which was winnable if not for the special teams breakdowns.
Missing 11 field goals and the drama that went along with our former kicker last year was not a good showing for Beamerball either.
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Thats the thing to me. The season was frustrating. We gave up seven non-defensive touchdowns. Thats one every other game. And we missed 11 field goals. Thats a lot of points that youre giving already to an opponent, especially when the games are as close as they are and were taking off the board. And it wasnt like the majority of those kicks were 50-plus yards. There was a lot of chip shots. And that, when its said and done, probably cost us a couple games, between turnovers or kicking game scores and missed field goals
From the article. You can tell he was livid about the offense and STs losing games the defense won for us.
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We should all line up just before each game next year right behind him and say that and the Maryland QBs name so he'll be all fired up for every game.
Wait,... its Bud.... he's already fired up for every game....
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I agree, but I was glad at the end of the article that he did give credit to the offensive coaches and the job they did with what they had. Throughout the entire article I kept thinking that this isn't good if there is friction between the offensive and defensive coaches. But then the end of the article made it seem like he was more upset with the circumstances - mainly the youth of the offense and the disciplinary problems with Cody Journell.
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livid? I don't know how you get that from what was quoted. A lot of coaches would have to be livid to lay out that plainly, but not Coach Foster. Seems to me that he was just pointing out the bottom line reasons why we didn't win more games last year. Our strategy relies on a good defense, winning the turnover battle and having special teams that execute - whether it's making FGs or covering kicks. We only had 1 of those 3 elements.
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I haven't been this excited about a kicker since Kai Forbath took over for Billy Cundiff for the Skins in 2012! Now I understand we've moved on from Cody, but we would have won at least the Duke game, maybe the UMD game too if we didn't miss so many.
Albeit, we had a backup Punter and a walk-on kicking for us. I can't wait for Santamaria.
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And that's what happens when you let a guy get away with stuff too many times. No reason as to why we let Brooks Abbot go, maybe he saw the BS/senioritis that beamer did with Journell and had enough of it. We all know when Journell was sober/normal he kicked well but that was a rare occurrence. But now we have a SantaMaria, a LB/K and a WalMart Kicker.. not to be mean
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Gotta hand it to the walk-on true freshman that had to start his career in a tight UMD game.
He missed his first but, that first one in a real game is just hard to do.
He made the rest.
Erik Kristensen grazed the upright on his first kick and missed but the other 4 kicks he made. I think he proved himself a Hokie that day.
The refs, however, they proved themselves turtles.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bud Foster deserves nothing short of a Nobel Peace Prize for having never strangled Newsome, O'Cain, and (to a lesser extent) Stiney. Did I mention Newsome yet?
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I didn't realize we missed that many kicks, or had that many TD's against us. Hard to win close games like that. Great article Bitter, looking forward to part II
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I wonder if Bud is planning on holding off on senior night until after the bowl game in the future. Seems like it would be a good thing to do once they're back from the bowl game.
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Its an interesting psychological debate whether to have it before or after the bowl game. In a way, having the meeting before may help instill a fire to finish out strong and to give it a last horah, and that's where the emotion comes from, realizing it will be your last game. That also could come with its own distractions as Bud was saying.
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It would seem he has to hold it before the game. Once they get back to Blacksburg from the bowl, guys scatter. Some of the Seniors may not be back on campus until Pro Day.
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I hear what you guys are saying, but it just seems like something that should be done as a sort of sendoff for all the seniors. A meeting like that (as it appears to me, having never been involved, having graduated years ago, and living hundreds of miles away) seems to sort of tie a bow around their careers. And it happens the day before their careers come to a close.
You guys bring up good points, but it almost sounds like they get to the pie before eating dinner. (No cake is involved)
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One of the more telling quotes from Andy's interview:
AB: I think I've read that you're one of the smallest football staffs personnel-wise?
BF: "Yeah, and in my opinion, this is just my opinion, we need to catch up because of recruiting. Not so much the quality control guys and the football part of it, but in the recruiting part of it, that's where the Alabamas and even like Ole Miss, they've had the last two years, they've had two top-10 recruiting classes.
Corey Batoon - Assistant A.D. for Recruiting Operations
Barney Farrar - Assistant A.D. for High School and Junior College Relations
Tom Luke - Assistant A.D. for Player Development
I'm not sure if Tech has comparable positions on its staff. If they do, they aren't listed online or in the media guide.
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Ballein mentioned this in his interview about the AD position as well. Smallest staff in the ACC. That's just dumb. Not sure if that was a Weaver decision ala "fans don't want Thursday night games" but somewhere the wrong decision was made. Those extra support staff free so much time up for the main coaching staff. For me this is priority number 1 for Whit. Get more staff on the roster.
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This was my biggest takeaway too. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Foster doesn't like recruiting but every second he can be teaching and studying instead of out on the road is a win. I really wouldn't hate to have Shane headlining the recruiting more with stiney and bring in another Running backs coach (KJ please).
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Assuming you mean Kevin Jones, doubt that happens as he's currently about to get his degree in Industrial Design. Would be kind of a waste of the past 4 years he's been working on a pretty tough degree. Would love another RB coach though no matter who it is
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The look in his eye and the way he talked during the AD hunt told me that if he was asked to join the staff he would do it in a heartbeat. Besides, when has doing something besides what your degree was in ever stopped anyone haha. I know I don't.
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Yeah, out of 970 plays, we probably would have liked to have five back. Thats it, man, when its all said and done. We didnt give up plays, really, during the course of the year.
I can think of at least a dozen scrambles for big yardage I would have liked back. It's surprising to hear Bud say we actually were spying the QB so much in the Sun Bowl. If definitely didn't look like we were. Looked like we were playing a bend - don't break game plan with him, which broke all game long.
Good interview though, and like Lefty, very candid. I'm not sure if there was a directive to be more free with info but seems like coaches are really opening up more year. Good to see.
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I can't recall specific plays, except maybe one or two vs. Maryland and the almost-safety-that wasn't against someone. I think Bud was probably referring to plays where we just screwed something up and something big came out of it. I'd bet there were plays where we were doing everything right and other teams just made plays. Sometimes it looks like everything went right for us and you just gotta tip your hat to someone for making something happen.
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Well, I was being a little sarcastic, and I realize he was talking specifically about blown assignments, but I am referring to all the QB scrambles all last season. Even on the plays where we executed correctly but the QB made a play. There was a reason why we were complaining about mobile QB's early last season and it was a common theme all year.
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It's surprising to hear Bud say we actually were spying the QB so much in the Sun Bowl. If definitely didn't look like we were
I think that's what Bud's talking about when he says guys were not playing their assignments and running with receivers n stuff. No doubt Bud had a good plan, just missed tackles and a couple blown assignments absolutely killed us.
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Foster playing bend but don't break defense. That's funny. When things go south they tend to continue going south. As good as Foster is, when things start going wrong it is very difficult to right the ship unless there is some change in personnel or alignment you can make that immediately gives you the advantage back. Bud had the advantage 98% of the year but when you get certain match ups that play to the weaknesses of your defense there is only so much you can do. I also think it shouldn't be discounted how disheartening it is to see your QB get blown up and know that as hard as you play you are probably still doomed. And despite all of that they kept us in the game through 3 quarters. I was impressed.
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I'm not trying to knock the guy or the players. I bask in the glory of Bud. But I think you're forgetting a few things:
1) just how much QB's scrambled all over us all season. It's not like my comment was the first one about it.
2) Bud himself is known for in-game adjustments that get the advantage back. It's part of why he is so great at what he does. and,
3) the bend-don't break strategy is one that Foster himself has coined, so I'm just repeating it. No need to get angry about it.
Previous seasons we were able to contain mobile QBs a lot better than last year. Whether that be personnel, lack of execution or our defense lost some wrinkle that got exploited we still got ran on a lot be mobile QBs. I'm not blaming Foster for it, I am just saying I would like more of those scrambles back.
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Sorry wasn't trying to sound angry. Tone probably could have been better on that one, no harm meant. I just really felt that the bowl game wasn't very indicative of a whole lot of anything. It just kind of happened and it's over. I understand the bend but don't break strategy but I guess I just never have thought of Bud as someone that would ever back the defense off for containment. I understand that it's a basic concept of defense. Again though no harm meant, my bad.
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Where mobile QBs hurt us, were primarily in games where we didn't have Kyle Fuller in there. It helps having a smart and athletic ROV/SS like him, because he could read the QBs well. He forced them into crappy situations. Not having a player like that means the mobile QB has the advantage.
You can't tell me that Kyle didn't make QBs afraid, especially GT QBs that got destroyed by him most of the time.
The other side of that, is if the offense doesn't put up the points that force the QB into an unfavorable position of playing from behind, they're going to scramble and make plays.
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I had the same reaction to his scrambling qb comments. Foster definitely had a strategy for those match ups, but he has a history of getting burned by mobile QBS.
Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the country, no doubt in my mind. But factoring in the problems his scheme has had against scrambling QBs, just saying "we didn't tackle" or "the players didn't play there assignments" sounds a lot like "we were a block or two away". Sometimes, players don't make plays because they aren't placed in the optimal position.
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I think Denard Robinson would have a slight disagreement with this. Shoot, on Hundley's longest TD run, Jack Tyler missed a wide-open tackle in the backfield. He makes that tackle and we're easily having a much different discussion right now.
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I don't think Mason or I are disagreeing that Bud is awesome and genuinely the best. But there is a reason Andy is asking the question. Fact is last season for whatever reason, and not just because we missed a few tackles, QBs were able to run like crazy on our defense. I remember the game day threads and people commenting on it the whole game on multiple games. In fact the only game which I think it was mentioned in a positive was Pitt when Dadi was beast.
It's meant as no disparagement to anyone.
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My point was that Bud doesn't just have some problem with mobile QBs. He's dealt with them quite successfully in the past. Even this season, we did a good job against most of the mobile QBs we faced, like Cato of Marshall and Marquis Williams of UNC. I'd say without question our struggles at times this year were execution-based. Like Bud said (and I witnessed), there were times we'd have guys converge on the QB, only to hit each other and have the QB pop out to scramble. He said we'd have guys on spy responsibility drifting to cover receivers. I wouldn't say no to a few more live tackling drills, but other than that, I'm not sure what else we can expect of Foster. The flaw is not in the gameplan.
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I think losing Kyle Fuller to injury was a big part of that. He made so many plays in the open field for us. When he went down, it changed the makeup of what we were doing. I don't have a lot of X's and O's reasons for that, just sort of a gut feeling. When Kyle was 100%, we handled mobile guys fine (Marshall, GT, UNC) but then struggled in games that he missed (UMD, UCLA).
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Record with Kyle Fuller: 6-1
Record without Kyle Fuller: 2-4
His versatility, ability to tackle, play coverage, etc, gave our defensive the ability to play aggressively at a (relatively) low risk. After he went out, the reward remained constant, but without him policing the secondary, the risk increased.
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Looking at the record breakdown, I'm glad to see I wasn't just spitting out nonsense. Of course, we can't blame any loss on the loss of a Fuller (as painful as such a loss is), but I definitely agree with you - his impact within our defensive scheme can't be understated. He was a key piece and an incredibly skilled player for us.
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I'm not sure of the point you're trying to make. Kyle didn't play against Duke. Kendall played a monster game with 3 INTs and 2 others that he dropped. The offense gave that one away, so I wouldn't pin that one on anyone on the defensive side of the ball. But then, maybe that means you're agreeing with me?
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Sure I am not arguing the reasoning, but then we had A LOT of player mistakes every game then. Definitely not just 5, which is my original point. Bud says he would only want 5 plays back. I saw many more that, for whatever reason, QBs killed us whilst scrambling that I would prefer to have back. 5 plays is an undersell to the reality of how much scrambling took place.
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Yeah, it's an undersell if you go full blown technically. Going that path you can choose every play that resulted in a score or more than 4 yards. But what he probably means is plays that lost us the game or opened the floodgates to a big issues. Yes there were big plays that would be nice if they never happened, but really didn't kill us. Think about against Duke, that game wasn't really the defenses fault which played really well. The offense just sputtered into nigh uselessness. Also during the Pitt game, Fuller got beat by a double move and the receiver made a huge play, is that a play you want back? I'm sure that wasn't counted because it really didn't screw much up.
Also a play in which there's a huge momentum shift that puts a team back in the game would probably be another good example, because without the game would have went a different direction.
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Look, I'm happy that there is difference of opinion here.
But I don't think Andy would be asking the question if there wasn't that question about last years defense.
Yes, there are a lot of reasons/excuses as to why QBs were able to scramble . Yes, Bud had a game plan. No, not every play was a 20 yard play. But if a QB is able to scramble for 4 yards on 3rd down to move the chains and continually does that then that is still us not stopping the QB. That's not a specific example, just general.
I am OK with being on the minority on this thread but during the season their was commentary on this site all year about the Hokies inability to contain mobile QBs. French makes note in the UCLA game preview:
While the Hokies struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season,
If I were to go through game threads I am sure I would find comments from many people on specific plays as well.
Again, I am all like you. I know that Bud is a genius. At the same time, I also know that VT struggled mightily to stop mobile QBs last season. This is why Andy asked the question, this is why French mentions it in his reviews. Every season there is some aspect that needs to be improved. This is a big one that Hokies must improve for this season.
And when I look back I would take more than 5 QB scrambles because taking away just 5 would not have changed the fact that VT struggled against mobile QBs.
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The problem isn't that I don't agree that mobile QBs weren't a major problem. It's your assertion that because we had a problem with that we had dozens of plays that we would want back instead of a handful. Just because a play got someone a first down doesn't mean that it's a play you want back, hell not even a scoring play. The plays you want back are the ones that cause you massive problems or to lose.
Example a huge scramble by a QB for a 30 yard touchdown when you're up might not be a play you want back in retrospect since you're still ahead. However a 1 yard 4th down screen pass up by 3 that swings momentum would be.
Thinking back and turning off the heart attack inducing game watching I agree more with Foster. Taking back plays is more with what the play caused than with it's direct outcome at that very second to me and with that it probably does come down to a handful of plays.
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You are speaking about the "dozen" plays I mentioned. I remember more big plays than 5, not all are "killers" but all I would like back. That was a subjective statement based on a season's length of struggle. I don't think only big yardage translates as big plays though, and I didn't make that distinction, so that's my fault. I was flippantly making a statement about Bud underselling the problem VT had with mobile QBs. Something he actually didn't address.
The plays you want back are the ones that cause you massive problems or to lose.
Sure, this is true. But isn't perception just a big a problem for teams when it comes to momentum? It was when I played. If you play great but have one weakness. A weakness that gets exploited time and again, and you see your otherwise great defense get beat by it then the perception that "oh boy, it's happening again" can also build to a loss. Again taking away only 5 plays wouldn't change the fact that we struggled, or that when QBs got those 2, 3 or 4 yard gains that otherwise would not define a game, but builds momentum, doesn't have just as great of an effect as those big plays you are mentioning. Because it's not just those 5 plays that killed us rather it was the cumulative plays where QBs could escape pressure and make plays, big or small. The assertion of will from opposing QBs to beat our defense through an escape route.
Anyway, we just see this differently. I am clearly in the minority and that's fine for me. Turkey leg for the debate.
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Great interview; so sincere and honest, there's not many sports interviews like that.
1. His responses about recruiting/expanding the staff lead me to believe he'll be our next head coach. You can tell he doesn't want to be anywhere else. He's a Hokie, he's looking forward.
And I know Virginia Tech, weve got a great tradition and great reputation. So I think there are some areas that I thought we could benefit from. At least things to talk about to see what direction we want to go or if we can go or whatnot
2. He kind of copped out on the running qb question. Running qbs definitely hurt us last year. Even in the marshall game, granted we won. But I like that he defended them too because all in all, that defense was so good last year and so fun to watch.
3. The part about the highlight video and emotional ceremony that goes down before the bowl game was nice. Another one of those things that show football is more than just a sport.
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Good secondary coverage = QB scrambles + lose contain + missed tackles = big plays. That is what I saw this year. Not all of the big plays happened like that but too many did. Needed more sacks or TFL. Need LBs that can match up with the QBs and a better pass rush.
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Comments
I wouldn't want to be a scrambling QB facing the Hokies from now on.
That last statement is pretty telling though, Bud usually doesn't heap praise on his own defenses, but you can tell how upset he was that this defense is going to get overlooked years to come because of failings elsewhere.
Also liked the tid bit about ways to keep improving recruiting. Thanks for the article Andy.
Good to see Foster calling out the special teams last year; three of the seven non-defensive touchdowns he mentions came from the Alabama game, which was winnable if not for the special teams breakdowns.
Missing 11 field goals and the drama that went along with our former kicker last year was not a good showing for Beamerball either.
From the article. You can tell he was livid about the offense and STs losing games the defense won for us.
Speaking of that, I bet the next person to say the word "Duke" to him before game week will turn up missing.
We should all line up just before each game next year right behind him and say that and the Maryland QBs name so he'll be all fired up for every game.
Wait,... its Bud.... he's already fired up for every game....
Do you want to die?
I agree, but I was glad at the end of the article that he did give credit to the offensive coaches and the job they did with what they had. Throughout the entire article I kept thinking that this isn't good if there is friction between the offensive and defensive coaches. But then the end of the article made it seem like he was more upset with the circumstances - mainly the youth of the offense and the disciplinary problems with Cody Journell.
livid? I don't know how you get that from what was quoted. A lot of coaches would have to be livid to lay out that plainly, but not Coach Foster. Seems to me that he was just pointing out the bottom line reasons why we didn't win more games last year. Our strategy relies on a good defense, winning the turnover battle and having special teams that execute - whether it's making FGs or covering kicks. We only had 1 of those 3 elements.
I haven't been this excited about a kicker since Kai Forbath took over for Billy Cundiff for the Skins in 2012! Now I understand we've moved on from Cody, but we would have won at least the Duke game, maybe the UMD game too if we didn't miss so many.
Albeit, we had a backup Punter and a walk-on kicking for us. I can't wait for Santamaria.
what was especially frustrating was watching the duke kicker banging 50+ yarders through and then cody missing chip shots. that was the game.
And that's what happens when you let a guy get away with stuff too many times. No reason as to why we let Brooks Abbot go, maybe he saw the BS/senioritis that beamer did with Journell and had enough of it. We all know when Journell was sober/normal he kicked well but that was a rare occurrence. But now we have a SantaMaria, a LB/K and a WalMart Kicker.. not to be mean
Gotta hand it to the walk-on true freshman that had to start his career in a tight UMD game.
He missed his first but, that first one in a real game is just hard to do.
He made the rest.
Erik Kristensen grazed the upright on his first kick and missed but the other 4 kicks he made. I think he proved himself a Hokie that day.
The refs, however, they proved themselves turtles.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bud Foster deserves nothing short of a Nobel Peace Prize for having never strangled Newsome, O'Cain, and (to a lesser extent) Stiney. Did I mention Newsome yet?
He also deserves the Nobel Prize for Notable Warmaking for his defenses.
What about the Nobel Prize for Putting LOLUVA Back in its Place?
That was more of just a public service, but he definitely deserves something shiny for it.
Bud Foster chugs rails out of the commonwealth cup. That's shiny, right?
F-king LOVE THIS! ^^^^^
I didn't realize we missed that many kicks, or had that many TD's against us. Hard to win close games like that. Great article Bitter, looking forward to part II
I wonder if Bud is planning on holding off on senior night until after the bowl game in the future. Seems like it would be a good thing to do once they're back from the bowl game.
Its an interesting psychological debate whether to have it before or after the bowl game. In a way, having the meeting before may help instill a fire to finish out strong and to give it a last horah, and that's where the emotion comes from, realizing it will be your last game. That also could come with its own distractions as Bud was saying.
It would seem he has to hold it before the game. Once they get back to Blacksburg from the bowl, guys scatter. Some of the Seniors may not be back on campus until Pro Day.
I hear what you guys are saying, but it just seems like something that should be done as a sort of sendoff for all the seniors. A meeting like that (as it appears to me, having never been involved, having graduated years ago, and living hundreds of miles away) seems to sort of tie a bow around their careers. And it happens the day before their careers come to a close.
You guys bring up good points, but it almost sounds like they get to the pie before eating dinner. (No cake is involved)
Man, now I want pie...
Of course you do.
One of the more telling quotes from Andy's interview:
He's right.
Look at Ole Miss' support staff: http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/m-footbl-coaches.html.
Corey Batoon - Assistant A.D. for Recruiting Operations
Barney Farrar - Assistant A.D. for High School and Junior College Relations
Tom Luke - Assistant A.D. for Player Development
I'm not sure if Tech has comparable positions on its staff. If they do, they aren't listed online or in the media guide.
Ballein mentioned this in his interview about the AD position as well. Smallest staff in the ACC. That's just dumb. Not sure if that was a Weaver decision ala "fans don't want Thursday night games" but somewhere the wrong decision was made. Those extra support staff free so much time up for the main coaching staff. For me this is priority number 1 for Whit. Get more staff on the roster.
This was my biggest takeaway too. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Foster doesn't like recruiting but every second he can be teaching and studying instead of out on the road is a win. I really wouldn't hate to have Shane headlining the recruiting more with stiney and bring in another Running backs coach (KJ please).
Assuming you mean Kevin Jones, doubt that happens as he's currently about to get his degree in Industrial Design. Would be kind of a waste of the past 4 years he's been working on a pretty tough degree. Would love another RB coach though no matter who it is
The look in his eye and the way he talked during the AD hunt told me that if he was asked to join the staff he would do it in a heartbeat. Besides, when has doing something besides what your degree was in ever stopped anyone haha. I know I don't.
http://www.athletics.vt.edu/staff.html#Football
Seems the closest we have is Recruiting Coordinator. But it's all just more of the same. We need more money.
I also feel stupid because I spent a couple minutes trying to figure out how Frank's email got to be clarkd... Then I saw his secretary's name....
I can think of at least a dozen scrambles for big yardage I would have liked back. It's surprising to hear Bud say we actually were spying the QB so much in the Sun Bowl. If definitely didn't look like we were. Looked like we were playing a bend - don't break game plan with him, which broke all game long.
Good interview though, and like Lefty, very candid. I'm not sure if there was a directive to be more free with info but seems like coaches are really opening up more year. Good to see.
I can't recall specific plays, except maybe one or two vs. Maryland and the almost-safety-that wasn't against someone. I think Bud was probably referring to plays where we just screwed something up and something big came out of it. I'd bet there were plays where we were doing everything right and other teams just made plays. Sometimes it looks like everything went right for us and you just gotta tip your hat to someone for making something happen.
Well, I was being a little sarcastic, and I realize he was talking specifically about blown assignments, but I am referring to all the QB scrambles all last season. Even on the plays where we executed correctly but the QB made a play. There was a reason why we were complaining about mobile QB's early last season and it was a common theme all year.
I think that's what Bud's talking about when he says guys were not playing their assignments and running with receivers n stuff. No doubt Bud had a good plan, just missed tackles and a couple blown assignments absolutely killed us.
Yeah, this is what I mean too. I am sure he had the game plan, but it sure didn't look that way.
Foster playing bend but don't break defense. That's funny. When things go south they tend to continue going south. As good as Foster is, when things start going wrong it is very difficult to right the ship unless there is some change in personnel or alignment you can make that immediately gives you the advantage back. Bud had the advantage 98% of the year but when you get certain match ups that play to the weaknesses of your defense there is only so much you can do. I also think it shouldn't be discounted how disheartening it is to see your QB get blown up and know that as hard as you play you are probably still doomed. And despite all of that they kept us in the game through 3 quarters. I was impressed.
I'm not trying to knock the guy or the players. I bask in the glory of Bud. But I think you're forgetting a few things:
1) just how much QB's scrambled all over us all season. It's not like my comment was the first one about it.
2) Bud himself is known for in-game adjustments that get the advantage back. It's part of why he is so great at what he does. and,
3) the bend-don't break strategy is one that Foster himself has coined, so I'm just repeating it. No need to get angry about it.
Previous seasons we were able to contain mobile QBs a lot better than last year. Whether that be personnel, lack of execution or our defense lost some wrinkle that got exploited we still got ran on a lot be mobile QBs. I'm not blaming Foster for it, I am just saying I would like more of those scrambles back.
Sorry wasn't trying to sound angry. Tone probably could have been better on that one, no harm meant. I just really felt that the bowl game wasn't very indicative of a whole lot of anything. It just kind of happened and it's over. I understand the bend but don't break strategy but I guess I just never have thought of Bud as someone that would ever back the defense off for containment. I understand that it's a basic concept of defense. Again though no harm meant, my bad.
Where mobile QBs hurt us, were primarily in games where we didn't have Kyle Fuller in there. It helps having a smart and athletic ROV/SS like him, because he could read the QBs well. He forced them into crappy situations. Not having a player like that means the mobile QB has the advantage.
You can't tell me that Kyle didn't make QBs afraid, especially GT QBs that got destroyed by him most of the time.
The other side of that, is if the offense doesn't put up the points that force the QB into an unfavorable position of playing from behind, they're going to scramble and make plays.
I had the same reaction to his scrambling qb comments. Foster definitely had a strategy for those match ups, but he has a history of getting burned by mobile QBS.
Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the country, no doubt in my mind. But factoring in the problems his scheme has had against scrambling QBs, just saying "we didn't tackle" or "the players didn't play there assignments" sounds a lot like "we were a block or two away". Sometimes, players don't make plays because they aren't placed in the optimal position.
My guess is that Bud has something up his sleeve as an adjustment, but either hasn't tweaked it fully yet, or doesn't want to tip his hand.
Let Ohio State thinks that's a weakness.
See if they try to exploit it them introduce the counter as a trap.
I think Denard Robinson would have a slight disagreement with this. Shoot, on Hundley's longest TD run, Jack Tyler missed a wide-open tackle in the backfield. He makes that tackle and we're easily having a much different discussion right now.
Denard wasn't this season.
I don't think Mason or I are disagreeing that Bud is awesome and genuinely the best. But there is a reason Andy is asking the question. Fact is last season for whatever reason, and not just because we missed a few tackles, QBs were able to run like crazy on our defense. I remember the game day threads and people commenting on it the whole game on multiple games. In fact the only game which I think it was mentioned in a positive was Pitt when Dadi was beast.
It's meant as no disparagement to anyone.
My point was that Bud doesn't just have some problem with mobile QBs. He's dealt with them quite successfully in the past. Even this season, we did a good job against most of the mobile QBs we faced, like Cato of Marshall and Marquis Williams of UNC. I'd say without question our struggles at times this year were execution-based. Like Bud said (and I witnessed), there were times we'd have guys converge on the QB, only to hit each other and have the QB pop out to scramble. He said we'd have guys on spy responsibility drifting to cover receivers. I wouldn't say no to a few more live tackling drills, but other than that, I'm not sure what else we can expect of Foster. The flaw is not in the gameplan.
I think losing Kyle Fuller to injury was a big part of that. He made so many plays in the open field for us. When he went down, it changed the makeup of what we were doing. I don't have a lot of X's and O's reasons for that, just sort of a gut feeling. When Kyle was 100%, we handled mobile guys fine (Marshall, GT, UNC) but then struggled in games that he missed (UMD, UCLA).
Record with Kyle Fuller: 6-1
Record without Kyle Fuller: 2-4
His versatility, ability to tackle, play coverage, etc, gave our defensive the ability to play aggressively at a (relatively) low risk. After he went out, the reward remained constant, but without him policing the secondary, the risk increased.
Looking at the record breakdown, I'm glad to see I wasn't just spitting out nonsense. Of course, we can't blame any loss on the loss of a Fuller (as painful as such a loss is), but I definitely agree with you - his impact within our defensive scheme can't be understated. He was a key piece and an incredibly skilled player for us.
Not sure there was anything more he could have done in the Duke loss.
I'm not sure of the point you're trying to make. Kyle didn't play against Duke. Kendall played a monster game with 3 INTs and 2 others that he dropped. The offense gave that one away, so I wouldn't pin that one on anyone on the defensive side of the ball. But then, maybe that means you're agreeing with me?
Sure I am not arguing the reasoning, but then we had A LOT of player mistakes every game then. Definitely not just 5, which is my original point. Bud says he would only want 5 plays back. I saw many more that, for whatever reason, QBs killed us whilst scrambling that I would prefer to have back. 5 plays is an undersell to the reality of how much scrambling took place.
Yeah, it's an undersell if you go full blown technically. Going that path you can choose every play that resulted in a score or more than 4 yards. But what he probably means is plays that lost us the game or opened the floodgates to a big issues. Yes there were big plays that would be nice if they never happened, but really didn't kill us. Think about against Duke, that game wasn't really the defenses fault which played really well. The offense just sputtered into nigh uselessness. Also during the Pitt game, Fuller got beat by a double move and the receiver made a huge play, is that a play you want back? I'm sure that wasn't counted because it really didn't screw much up.
Also a play in which there's a huge momentum shift that puts a team back in the game would probably be another good example, because without the game would have went a different direction.
Like the illegal hit on Thomas on the bowl game.
Without that play, we stay in the game.
Look, I'm happy that there is difference of opinion here.
But I don't think Andy would be asking the question if there wasn't that question about last years defense.
Yes, there are a lot of reasons/excuses as to why QBs were able to scramble . Yes, Bud had a game plan. No, not every play was a 20 yard play. But if a QB is able to scramble for 4 yards on 3rd down to move the chains and continually does that then that is still us not stopping the QB. That's not a specific example, just general.
I am OK with being on the minority on this thread but during the season their was commentary on this site all year about the Hokies inability to contain mobile QBs. French makes note in the UCLA game preview:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2013/december/26/previewing-ucla-quart...
he goes on to say the Bud also "bedeviled" other mobile QBs like Russell Wilson and EJ Manuel, but both not last season.
French again mentions the "struggle" in the Vinny Mihota First Look when talking about him needing more practice learning contain:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/january/29/class-2014-first-look-...
If I were to go through game threads I am sure I would find comments from many people on specific plays as well.
Again, I am all like you. I know that Bud is a genius. At the same time, I also know that VT struggled mightily to stop mobile QBs last season. This is why Andy asked the question, this is why French mentions it in his reviews. Every season there is some aspect that needs to be improved. This is a big one that Hokies must improve for this season.
And when I look back I would take more than 5 QB scrambles because taking away just 5 would not have changed the fact that VT struggled against mobile QBs.
The problem isn't that I don't agree that mobile QBs weren't a major problem. It's your assertion that because we had a problem with that we had dozens of plays that we would want back instead of a handful. Just because a play got someone a first down doesn't mean that it's a play you want back, hell not even a scoring play. The plays you want back are the ones that cause you massive problems or to lose.
Example a huge scramble by a QB for a 30 yard touchdown when you're up might not be a play you want back in retrospect since you're still ahead. However a 1 yard 4th down screen pass up by 3 that swings momentum would be.
Thinking back and turning off the heart attack inducing game watching I agree more with Foster. Taking back plays is more with what the play caused than with it's direct outcome at that very second to me and with that it probably does come down to a handful of plays.
You are speaking about the "dozen" plays I mentioned. I remember more big plays than 5, not all are "killers" but all I would like back. That was a subjective statement based on a season's length of struggle. I don't think only big yardage translates as big plays though, and I didn't make that distinction, so that's my fault. I was flippantly making a statement about Bud underselling the problem VT had with mobile QBs. Something he actually didn't address.
Sure, this is true. But isn't perception just a big a problem for teams when it comes to momentum? It was when I played. If you play great but have one weakness. A weakness that gets exploited time and again, and you see your otherwise great defense get beat by it then the perception that "oh boy, it's happening again" can also build to a loss. Again taking away only 5 plays wouldn't change the fact that we struggled, or that when QBs got those 2, 3 or 4 yard gains that otherwise would not define a game, but builds momentum, doesn't have just as great of an effect as those big plays you are mentioning. Because it's not just those 5 plays that killed us rather it was the cumulative plays where QBs could escape pressure and make plays, big or small. The assertion of will from opposing QBs to beat our defense through an escape route.
Anyway, we just see this differently. I am clearly in the minority and that's fine for me. Turkey leg for the debate.
I enjoy your appropriate use of French quotes as the authoritative source, like a book report or something.
Is there any other way to quote French? haha
Double Post
Great interview; so sincere and honest, there's not many sports interviews like that.
1. His responses about recruiting/expanding the staff lead me to believe he'll be our next head coach. You can tell he doesn't want to be anywhere else. He's a Hokie, he's looking forward.
2. He kind of copped out on the running qb question. Running qbs definitely hurt us last year. Even in the marshall game, granted we won. But I like that he defended them too because all in all, that defense was so good last year and so fun to watch.
3. The part about the highlight video and emotional ceremony that goes down before the bowl game was nice. Another one of those things that show football is more than just a sport.
Thanks Bitter for another absolutely badass write up.
Good secondary coverage = QB scrambles + lose contain + missed tackles = big plays. That is what I saw this year. Not all of the big plays happened like that but too many did. Needed more sacks or TFL. Need LBs that can match up with the QBs and a better pass rush.