It's not even that the scrimmages are closed. Even last year, we got to talk to people afterward. This year, there's none of that. It's needless secrecy, in my opinion.
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This is the misconception about football coverage, as if some minor observations from media folks is going to give away the entire game plan. Ohio State has an entire game of film against the Hokies from last year to look at. It's not like they won't have an idea of what VT will do.
And if it's really so super secret? Don't do it in the 15 minutes the media usually gets to watch. It's usually just stretching and individual drills anyway. Cutting this little piece of access to practice accomplishes nothing.
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Out of curiosity do the coaches or AD decide to close it? I feel like since Loeffler's been here it's been more and more closed, but I might just be making that up in my mind.
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So AB what type of articles are you going to write now?? Maybe some gameday food places and bars? Maybe we could have a video recap of a Night at TOTS??
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Andy,
Out of curiosity, why do you care about the 15 minute media access that you are encouraging VT to show you nothing of real interest (clearly I'm nieve about the industry)?
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It's about seeing who's still at practice (ie. Holland Fisher, Shawn Payne, etc.) It's about seeing who's in blue. It's about adding color and anecdotes, as brief as they might be, to stories. It's about being around the program to get an understanding of where these guys are coming from.
You can tell a lot about what coaches are thinking by how they interact with guys. And having that knowledge allows you to ask smarter questions that produce better results in interviews later. It all goes hand in hand.
And the fact that there are fewer media opportunities this year compared to previous years (about half as many the first few weeks, in fact), makes the kind of coverage we'd like to provide to readers not possible.
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And I write this knowing that nobody is going to have any sympathy for sports writers. ("Stupid media should butt out anyway!!!") But it's my job to try to provide for fans insight into the team. And when those opportunities to glean some knowledge about it are limited or removed, I don't think anybody is better off for it.
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Just like my film reviews.... if Ohio State coaches find something from a column that a beat writer publishes that is valuable enough that they depend on it to game plan, then those coaches are not worth a damn anyway. I think a bunch of this intrigue comes from the guy on the opposite sideline. I have received the impression that the coaching staff doesn't regard Urban Meyer as the most honorable guy. Perhaps it reverts next year. In Loeffler's first year the scrimmages were open.
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Do the coaches think that even the slightest bit of media coverage is a distraction to the players that they don't want? Why else would they shut the media out? I can see a coach thinking that the Media is a needless distraction. I'm not taking sides here, just speculating..
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No offense meant here, but you could dig up those five dedicated UVa fans who attended their spring game and get a story on them. We could use some humor around here as we wait.
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I asked Virginia Tech a week ago if there would be and have yet to hear back. My hunch is there won't be. If there are some, they will let the media know, and I will pass it along.
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I haven't seen anything.
There may be one or two open ones. I'm sure Bitter will tweet/post about it in the next week or so as more info is made available to the media.
Since there's zero media availability on Saturdays this August, my guess is there will be zero open scrimmages.
The closed nature of everything this year has not gone over well with us media types.
Last open scrimmage that I went to was on a Thursday evening. So, maybe...
Well, there it is.
Thanks, Andy.
Didn't they do the same thing before we played Bama a few years ago? I'd assume they want as little film as possible out there
It's not even that the scrimmages are closed. Even last year, we got to talk to people afterward. This year, there's none of that. It's needless secrecy, in my opinion.
Gotta keep the ManBearPigAntelopePlayedHisNutsOff Defensive alignment under wraps.
Hey, if it yields the same (or even better) results as last year...I'll take being in the dark about the team all season FTW.
^^^^This is my real feeling too, kind of like playing poker.
This is the misconception about football coverage, as if some minor observations from media folks is going to give away the entire game plan. Ohio State has an entire game of film against the Hokies from last year to look at. It's not like they won't have an idea of what VT will do.
And if it's really so super secret? Don't do it in the 15 minutes the media usually gets to watch. It's usually just stretching and individual drills anyway. Cutting this little piece of access to practice accomplishes nothing.
Out of curiosity do the coaches or AD decide to close it? I feel like since Loeffler's been here it's been more and more closed, but I might just be making that up in my mind.
So AB what type of articles are you going to write now?? Maybe some gameday food places and bars? Maybe we could have a video recap of a Night at TOTS??
Bitter Blog - They Are Actually Paying Me to Shoot Rubber Bands into My Trashcan
Bitter Blog - Someone Said Football Happened Today, I Just Drank a Beer
ABsolutely Perfect!
Andy,
Out of curiosity, why do you care about the 15 minute media access that you are encouraging VT to show you nothing of real interest (clearly I'm nieve about the industry)?
It's about seeing who's still at practice (ie. Holland Fisher, Shawn Payne, etc.) It's about seeing who's in blue. It's about adding color and anecdotes, as brief as they might be, to stories. It's about being around the program to get an understanding of where these guys are coming from.
You can tell a lot about what coaches are thinking by how they interact with guys. And having that knowledge allows you to ask smarter questions that produce better results in interviews later. It all goes hand in hand.
And the fact that there are fewer media opportunities this year compared to previous years (about half as many the first few weeks, in fact), makes the kind of coverage we'd like to provide to readers not possible.
And I write this knowing that nobody is going to have any sympathy for sports writers. ("Stupid media should butt out anyway!!!") But it's my job to try to provide for fans insight into the team. And when those opportunities to glean some knowledge about it are limited or removed, I don't think anybody is better off for it.
Just like my film reviews.... if Ohio State coaches find something from a column that a beat writer publishes that is valuable enough that they depend on it to game plan, then those coaches are not worth a damn anyway. I think a bunch of this intrigue comes from the guy on the opposite sideline. I have received the impression that the coaching staff doesn't regard Urban Meyer as the most honorable guy. Perhaps it reverts next year. In Loeffler's first year the scrimmages were open.
French I'm assuming your going to break down the behind the scenes show the BIG network is doing of anOSU practices?
Do the coaches think that even the slightest bit of media coverage is a distraction to the players that they don't want? Why else would they shut the media out? I can see a coach thinking that the Media is a needless distraction. I'm not taking sides here, just speculating..
Ve haf vays to geet informatsion fram you.
No offense meant here, but you could dig up those five dedicated UVa fans who attended their spring game and get a story on them. We could use some humor around here as we wait.
Last summer they had 0 open scrimmages from what I remember, I assume that will be the case this year as well.
I asked Virginia Tech a week ago if there would be and have yet to hear back. My hunch is there won't be. If there are some, they will let the media know, and I will pass it along.
I hate it.
And I love it.
Cue The Verve.
I want some more of it.... Wait, that's not right.
The upside to this is if you follow vtfootball on Snapchat, it is nearly like watching a scrimmage.
I love how Tech is using Snapchat, but it's not anything like watching a public scrimmage.