Virginia Tech football head coach Frank Beamer joined ESPN Radio's Marty & McGee show for a segment Saturday afternoon and discussed, among other topics, the Hokies' upcoming football season.
"I think we got a good team. For us it generally starts with our defense, Bud Foster and the guys. We got some good players. So hopefully we can play good, solid defense. We got both kickers back, so hopefully that's intact," Beamer told show host Marty Smith.
"Offensively we're getting better. Probably the area that we need some guys to play better than maybe they should at this point is in the offensive line. But the good thing is they're very athletic. We're an athletic group in the offensive line, and that's not always the case. But we're just a little bit inexperienced at a couple of those positions. If we can play steady there, then I think we got a chance."
That's quite the endorsement and frankness from Beamer, who is typically a specialist in coach speak and managing preseason expectations.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer shared Beamer's sentiment that the offense is improved.
"I don't think we could put a ceiling on our potential right now," Brewer said. "This offense was so up and down last year and struggled a lot at times and the way that we've improved this offseason and going into the summer -- you talk to anybody on the offense, we feel so much better about things. We're excited about the direction we're headed because we feel we have a chance to put points on the board and help our defense out and win football games. We've got to go out there and execute. That's Step 1, and we need to stay healthy and continue to move in the right direction. I'm very excited. I think everybody in the building is."
Even in the face of a summer recruiting slump and projected starting rover C.J. Reavis' recent dismissal from Virginia Tech, there's a buzz around the 2015 football season. Dadi Nicolas already put it out there that this year's edition of the Hokies is the most special team he's been a part of. You'd have to travel back to 2010 to match the amount of Hokies have been named to preseason watch lists and All-ACC teams. And there are pundits and media members who believe Tech will win the ACC Coastal Division and 10-plus games.
Comments
Damn you for getting my hopes up, is it September yet?
Team has a lot of play-makers assuming they are healthy.
Beams is well loved for good reason.. anyone notice how much different his voice is since surgery? sounds night and day to me. Clearly he was under more more health stress than VT led on, he has aged 10 years since the bowl game IMO. Wish him and squad much success in his twilight years and hope he can go out on an up note.
Ok, it's been 24 hours. All better now.
Take me back! Take me back hype train!!!
DDLJ!
Nice.
The team/fans can't control the recent downers, but winning will go a long way to fixing stuff.
Go Hokies!
ALL ABOARD!!!!!!
Frank's vocal optimism about this year's team dates all the way back to the Miami post-game presser last season. If he's hyped, then I'm hyped.
After getting dismantled by Miami, Frank: "Just wait till next year!".
It couldn't have gotten a whole lot worse than that game so he probably figured there was no where to go but up.
Then we had a bye-week against WF.
Oh, you mean the only game I attended last season? Yea, thanks for the memories..... Ugh.
Umm...you arent planning on going to the OSU game are you?
Touch. And alas....no, not making the trek from Nashville.
Edit: Not that I don't want to.
Come along and take a ride on the Hokie Hype Train 2015!
I am drinking it with twice the sugar and I am diabetic!
Oh yeah.
This could be their best defense ever, and the depth looks good at all positions there. I imagine against Furman, Purdue, and a much weaker ECU team this year our reserves will get plenty of reps on defense and offense. (This is assuming all of the starters are working out well and have a good chemistry established.)
I cannot recall last time we had the offensive talent of Hodges, Malleck, Cline, Ford, phillips, Coleman, Edmunds, McMillian, Rogers, Wright, Peoples along with a good starting qb in Brewer, capable backup in Motley, true wildcat qb in Durkin, and a potential star such as Lawson (All on the same team!). It blows my mind to think we have guys at RB the caliber of Williams, McKenzie, and McClease that they can red shirt. Cunningham, Burke and Edmunds assuming they play Burke and Edmunds at TE and not DE because I know Edmunds will not stay at LB. I also am hoping Asante, Bradshaw, and Knowles all step up at WR.
I am truly excited about this season and I believe Beamer down playing the team with words like "think" "have a chance" and "ok" are because he wants teams to be surprised when they play us. I think the offensive line is going to be special this year and have the most improvement of all positions. I think the starters are solid and I believe we have at least 5 guys who can give us a strong 2nd string, Stacy Searels has a good record as you can see at this link, http://www.hokiesports.com/staff/searels_stacy.html and I believe him and Burden will make the offense better.
2011 had a preeeeeetty talented team. Best two WRs statistically in VT history. 1st round draft pick RB. Logan Thomas was playing really really well. Hell, look at 2010.
I think Ford, Phillips, Hodges, Malleck can be the 2 best WR's and TE's in VT history and Edmunds has potential at RB if he can stay healthy maybe not being the best but still being very good, I am also excited about McMillian. And is Rogers the best FB in VT history? If Brewer gets it together we are looking very good!
Its going to be hard to beat Jeff King. His stats weren't incredible but his impact was. They both have at least a chance to surpass is receiving stats.
What I remember most about Jeff King was that he pretty much got you at least 9 yards every time he caught the ball. Or at the very least, he was on the good side of the first down line.
I think Hodges will be the best WR Tech has ever produced.
I like how that boat goes faster than the animators can animate
"I think we got a good team."
So do most of the preview mags I've read - and I've read a lot of them because I am a CFB junkie.
Important for the Hokies to be playing their best in November this year, not September - like last year. I am particularly for them having their weakest performance Sept 7 and then getting hot from there. Anyone with me? :)
I'm perfectly okay with this...so long as we still get the W on 9/7 :p
I would like a 1-3 point win in BBurg on 9/7 followed by a season full of blowouts (including 2 or 3 shut-outs) as we cruise to an undefeated regular season
my fantasy world is a happier place
You are not with me. Big disappointment, but turkey leg anyway. :)
I want to get back to the days where our defense outscores our opponent's offense. I really miss those days.
So say we all.
odd. losing to VT turned out pretty well for you last year. You guys should come to Blacksburg and throw the game. remember superstition and sports go hand and hand.
Turkey leg for you!
I plan on the Ohio State Buckeyes following a different path this year. :)
Oh, you are going to win the 1st one then lose the rest? :-)
Not EXACTLY what I had in mind, but kudos to you for besting my sarcasm. :)
We got some live ones here. Be on your toes.
And welcome.
I think the biggest concern for us is to just stay healthy. If we can stay healthy, our 2-deep across the board should be good enough to take some huge steps forward from where we have been and much closer to where we want to be. Without a rash of injuries again, a conference championship is not out of the realistic realm of possibility.
I looked at how various publications ranked VT going into 2015.
USA Today 21
Lindy's 24
ESPN 26
Athlon 35
Athlon seems to be the outlier. Most people have them around the top 20-25 and challenging for the Coastal. So, someone other than Coach Beamer thinks they are pretty good too.
While its post-season rather than pre, Phil Steele has VT ranked 16th. So throw out the 16 and 35 as a wash and I agree with your ranking assessment.
Pro-tip: If Frank Beamer thinks they will be "pretty good", we could be looking at a truly magical season for the hokies. Usually he says something along the lines of "we've got a good group of kids down there, but we've got to keep improving and taking things one day at a time". And that's after winning 6 straight games into the season.
They aren't my rankings! But I understand what you meant.
Every year there is a team that is pre-season ranked in the 30-50 range that has that "magical season" where they flirt with the top 10 or actually get there. I'm looking at Texas (27), Florida (28), Miami (29) , OK St (30), Arizona (32) Wisconsin (34), K State (39), Louisville (44), and Washington (46) as those teams this year (ESPN Rankings).
Relying on the info in the magazines, a Virginia Tech team ending up in the top 10 would mean the following concerns/questions were answered very positively:
- have a top 40 offense (96th in total offense last year)
- Brewer had 8 TD's and 4 Int the last 6 games; needs to carry that over and improve the ratio
- Passing game generated 6.2 yards per attempt (105th), receiving corps needs to be productive
- RB's need to be healthy and more productive
_ keep all D linemen healthy (Maddy, Nicolas, Marshall, Ekanem, Williams)
- Motuapuaka has to play well at LB and Deon Clarke stays healthy
- Brandon Fayson return to form and allow Chuck Clark to play safety
- Have a + turnover margin
- Misc: be able to continue to apply pressure with aggressive blitz packages; limit explosive plays (gave up 79 EP's last year); team confidence and trust after suffering disappointment last year.
Nothing there that's not doable. There's a few guys who haven't played that need to play well. Injuries and balls bouncing the wrong way you can't account for. Even good teams can use some good luck. Confidence and team unity are great things to have, but hard to attain and maintain.
Regardless, it's going to be fun to watch this team answer those questions. I don't think they will be all answered Sept 7, but should be by November.
its easy to have a favorable turnover margin when we will intercept 10x a game!
The defense should be solid this year at worst and has the potential to be one of Bud's best. That being said, our offense does not need to be a Top 25 offense. If we can be sound and take care of the turnovers and come in somewhere around Top 50. This will be a magical season, so all aboard!!! GO HOKIES!!
I used to be the first man aboard the Hokie Hype train, accentuating the positive, eliminating the negatives from the equation, I was unshakable in my belief that the Hokies had a shot at it all. I will admit, though, as I have aged, I am a bit more cautious as I approach the ticket booth. If Frank's talking big (and for him, "I think we got a good team" is talking big), well, I guess I'm a bit more psyched than my cautiously optimistic mode of the past few years. While that train doesn't always make it to it's original destination, it sure is a lot more fun to be on it for the entire ride. I got my ticket, where's the conductor?
I'm not sayin', but I'm just sayin', there are a lot of people around the athletic department who are pretty darn excited around this season... provided we stay healthy. Loeffler is about as excited as he could be about his starting 11... and scared sh*tless after that. Gonna make for a heck of an interesting year, no doubt.
Loeffler being excited for this season is a happy thought. The OL has to be our biggest concern specifically tackle. I am excited to see who steps up. i just know someone will! I thinke Newesome will step up on offense and Stroman/Walker/Van Dyke will on D. So stoked!