Select Hokies' players and coaches met with the media Tuesday evening and spoke about Virginia Tech's Friday night battle with N.C. State.
Michael Brewer Nears Return
- Brewer split reps in Tuesday's practice, his first practice in pads (non-contact) since he broke his collarbone against Ohio State.
- Brewer still needs official clearance from doctors and trainers before he can play in a game.
- Brewer will test collarbone by taking a hit and falling on a mat. He will be x-rayed afterward.
- Was running and throwing 10 days post-surgery.
- Brewer broke his collarbone in three places. Surgeon repaired it with a plate and six screws.
Torrian Gray
- Young guys (Adonis Alexander, Terrell Edmunds) are making a lot of mistakes a game, not just one or two, but the only way to learn is through experience.
- Nickel Mook Reynolds is further along in his development than he was at the begining of the season, so it makes it a little less painful replacing nickel corner turned wideout Greg Stroman.
- Adonis Alexander is inconsistent, things may need to be simplified for him.
- North Carolina State has a lot of explosive skill players on offense.
Wade Hansen on OL Struggles
Starting left tackle Wade Hansen didn't mince words on the offensive line's dismal performance against Pittsburgh.
"Seven sacks and nine rush yards, it gets me kinda sick to my stomach, to be honest," said Hansen. "That's unacceptable as an offensive line unit."
The main culprit? Execution.
"There was some things that just technique that wasn't executed properly," said Hansen. "The left side executed something right, but the right side didn't. The whole play is going to be botched. Every single position from left tackle to right tackle has to be on the same program when it comes to our play."
Hansen was seemingly the lone bright spot throughout the offensive line, and Stacy Searels noted as much at Monday evening's Tech Talk Live.
"I was just trying to be as consistent as I could," said Hansen. "Especially, I've been struggling a little lately in the run game. Being able to sustain my blocks all the way through finishing people to the ground. I felt like I was able to do that very efficiently on Saturday. But it's not gonna all fall on one person. Everybody has to be able to do that."
Seven sacks — an astronomically high number for any offensive line in a single game — seemed to upset Hansen the most.
"I take it personal. It hurt me a lot," said Hansen. "When I see the ball get thrown, I see the ball going through the air, I typically look back and Motley...I looked back to make sure he was alright and when he's on the ground, I try to go over and help him up because he shouldn't be on the ground."
And with the potential for Michael Brewer to return in time for N.C. State, the offensive line could be under an even more intense microscope come Friday. But according to Hansen, the offensive line sets out to protect every quarterback just the same.
"To be honest, it doesn't matter which quarterback's back there," said Hansen. "They can not get hit as many times as it happened on Saturday. Whether it's Brewer, it's Lawson, or it's Motley, they all need to be protected. We just wanna make sure that they don't get hit."
Despite a disappointing Saturday that contributed to the Hokies dropping to 2-3 on the season, Hansen remains confident that the front-five can bounce back.
"We just need to be collective and pull ourselves together and move past it," said Hansen. "That's a game that we don't wanna dwell on and look back on. We just need to keep moving forward and execute as a group."
Trey Edmunds Dishes on the RB Rotation
The roulette-style running back rotation has been a hot topic in Blacksburg over the past few weeks, and I asked Trey Edmunds if he's had trouble getting into a rhythm with a limited number of carries each game.
"Oh yes, definitely, definitely," Edmunds replied. "But at the end of the day, like I said, I have no control over that. All I can do is just go out here throughout the week and just practice hard and at the end of the day it's the coach's decision."
Frank Beamer addressed the issue on Monday and said, "There's always so many touches in a game and percentage-wise you better have the right people touching the ball."
But with three running backs receiving a similar amount of carries, it remains unclear if Edmunds stands to be one of the beneficiaries of a narrowed running back rotation.
Greg Stroman to WR, Mook Reynolds to Start at Nickel
First-year wide receivers coach Zohn Burden has been on a never-ending search for a 3rd WR since arriving in Blacksburg, but with yesterday's news of Greg Stroman's switch to offense, that search may be over.
"Greg brings value, brings depth. Speed factor. Make you miss factor. Big play abilities. That's what I just acquired," said Burden.
Stroman, who got some burn on offense in the 2014 Military Bowl against Cincinnati, said he was approached by Frank Beamer about a potential move to the offense. Stroman says he took the request in stride.
"I don't think I would pick one," said Stroman when asked if he preferred offense or defense. "It's just a team game. I feel like if Coach needs me to play this, I'll do it. That was something I told him coming out of high school."
Stroman's transition leaves the starting nickel spot open for the taking, and true freshman Mook Reynolds appears poised to take it.
But Reynolds isn't all new to a first-team role. Over the past few weeks, Reynolds and Stroman have essentially swapped out each series, so Reynolds is confident that he'll be comfortable in his first "real start."
"It's college. Competition is pretty much the same. You just got to show up on Saturdays and execute what you're taught," said Reynolds. "It's not gonna be a big difference. I played a little bit, me and Greg. ECU was my first start. I got a lot of experience that game. So ever since then, me and Greg have just been swapping back and forth each series. I've kind of been prepped to be put in this situation. Now it's just time to step up really."
Reynolds nearly had his first career pick against East Carolina, but the referees ruled the play a fumble, much to the chagrin of the young cornerback.
"At the end of the day, it's still a stat," lamented Reynolds. "I wish it could have been a pick, but it's alright."
But should it have been an interception?
"Oh, it was a pick," laughed Reynolds. "The refs that game, they weren't on it, so i just gotta live with it."
Additional Quotes
Michael Brewer
ON THE PROGRESS HE'S MADE IN HIS RECOVERY:
"Basically, I've just been trying to push the envelope as much as they would let me with this whole deal. They've had to pull me back, take away the reigns a couple of times on me. But I feel good with it. I felt good throwing today. I felt like as practice went on I got better with it. I feel like I'll be back to 100% here pretty soon."
ON TONY ROMO'S BROKEN COLLARBONE:
"Yeah, that was a bad deal. Big Cowboys fan. Hopefully Tony can get back out there soon. Hopefully I'll be before him (laughs)."
ON IF HE'S LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE OFFENSE WHILE HE'S BEEN SIDELINED:
"Yeah, absolutely. You get to see it from a whole different perspective. Obviously it's a lot easier to have the headsets on and play quarterback that way than it is to be out there. But it's been good. Just studying the game plan every week and then having to think like a coach rather than a QB, it's been cool. I've gotten a couple of times to be up in the box with Loeffler, helping out with things, with the pass game. Identifying coverages and what not. And then sometimes I'm on the sidelines helping out Motley. It's been good. Like I said, just trying to do whatever I can to help the team."
Mook Reynolds
ON FRANK BEAMER SEEING A LACK OF EMOTION AGAINST PITTSBURGH:
"I know what he's talking about. It's just frustration with everybody right now, but I mean we're a team, so we're gonna get closer together. We're gonna figure this thing out."
Greg Stroman
ON WHERE HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE AT RECEIVER:
"It's a ton of things that you can always work on, but just little things. Just getting better at route running. Coming off the line. A lot of thing you can just get better at."
Zohn Burden
ON IF HE'S DISAPPOINTED A 3RD WR HASN'T EMERGED:
"I wouldn't say I'm disappointed. I think it's on me to get those guys prepared and just find roles. Right now, I'm trying my hardest to find a role. We are as a staff evaluating where we can fit them in and those guys have actually played. Kevin Asante has played more snaps the past couple games. So we're gonna build on that."
Trey Edmunds
ON IF HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT A FULL SPEED PRACTICE ON THURSDAY:
"No, not at all. I can think back to last year when we played UVA on a Friday. It was a sort of similar situation...Of course you wanna look at, are the players gonna have their full legs and things like that. But I feel like the coaches aren't doing too much to us. I feel like we'll be able to go out there and go 100% Friday night."
ON THE EDMUNDS BROTHER'S DANCE APPEARING TO BE CHOREOGRAPHED:
"It did. It did. I promise it wasn't choreographed (laughs)."
Wade Hansen
ON IF HE WAS SURPRISED BY POOR PERFORMANCE AGAINST PITTSBURGH:
"I felt like we were getting together as a unit. Especially going on the road against Purdue. I felt like that was a great turning point for us after Furman. But, I can't really explained how that (Pittsburgh) happened, to be honest. I know there's just misexecution. That was the biggest issue. We need to be able to turn the corner if we want to be a competitor in this ACC. We need to make sure that we do execute because that was our biggest problem."
ON WATCHING THE PITTSBURGH FILM:
"It was tough to watch film and see that we were struggling. They're gonna coach us up the best they can after watching film. There's gonna be critiques and you gotta be able to take that the right way. You can't feel sorry about yourself. You gotta be a man and you gotta harden up."
Comments
Brewer needs to join the special forces.
He's a freaking maniac.
Terrified they clear him and he re-breaks it. With that plate, it would finish his football career even if it wasn't half-way through his last year. I hope the oline took that performance personal...and Lefty calls runs to see if BeamerSenior has fixed the running-back carousel...a bad attitude, run plays and some actual opportunity for success for the RBs could go a long way to fixing this offense...
Agreed. Any QB's job gets a lot easier when you have a dependable running game to fall back on. I really hope we see a focus on that this Friday, especially if Brewer is able to return. We don't need to have him get hurt again. Need to get the TE's involved in the run game with some heavy formations, and I would love to see some I-Formation. We've had running backs moving too much laterally and getting tackled before they get out of the backfield. Let's put Sam and McMillian in the I and have Rogers help open up some holes. Maybe even get Durkin involved as an H-Back. Absolutely critical to establish a ground game this week, or we're going to be in trouble.
I'm really torn about Brewer coming back. Obviously it would be great to have him back at QB, but I'd rather not risk his health with our porous O-Line. It's was bad enough seeing Motley going back out onto the field for that last series in the Pitt Game. At least with him you knew he could run and we weren't sure of his condition. With Brewer, we already know he is hurt. Given our recent track record with players getting injured, is taking this chance really necessary?
BTW, what ever happened to Durkin? Granted, they were moving him to T.E., but you can't tell me that kid suddenly forgot how to be a Q.B. If Motley is to banged up to play against NCST, then I say we give Brewer another week or so to recover and play Durkin. At least I'll be able to cheer for the team with a clear conscience.
Remember the game Ryan Williams had against NC State, when he dragged the defender 10 yards into the endzone?(120 yards & 4 TDs) I want another power back like that where we don't pull him every 2 plays. We have the O line, just need the plays and the hot hand to stay in the game.
I have to wonder if we do have that back and we just haven't seen him because he's rotating out every play. I'm not saying Edmunds of McMillan is on the same level as Ryan Williams, but surely one of them could approach it if they had the chance.
No. One of McMillian or Edmunds cannot approach Ryan Williams levels if just given the chance. As the writers of this site have mentioned a few times, we just don't have backs that make guys miss or pull away. RW did that all the time. Just watch our guys. It's not a matter of them getting more carries, it's a matter of them being limited in what they can do. We don't have a rotation problem, we have a talent problem.
We don't have a rotation problem, we have a talent problem.
It may well be that we have both. Can we really say we're setting those guys up for success? You can't really judge them if you can't provide at least a little hole to get them through the line.
It may be both- however, guys like Cedric Humes were not elite talents. They were grinders and with good blocking and touches they won games for us.
would love to hear your thoughts on the RB situation?? Do you see in McMillian that he could be a 2 down back and Trey come in for 3rd down and or goal line?
It may also be a coaching problem. If we're stubbornly only playing to the strengths of each back instead of trying to help each back improve in areas where they are weak, we're never going to have a well-rounded back...If we're not coaching our backs up, they're not going to get better. We're seemingly trying to win games with high-school backs. I'm starting to think Shane Beamer is the RB Coach equivalent of Mike O'Cain.
And to make matters worse when put a one dimensional back in the game its a complete tell to the defense of what type of play is coming next. Ugh!
Unfortunately the grinding philosophy is dead.
I'll just say I agree, as it is too depressing to click up-vote on this.
Pitt disagrees.
With us I meant.
Agreed, we are doing a super-poor job of coaching them up. But don't be deceived, the RB's aren't that good to begin with. The original post said that we just need to give a guy a chance and he'll be Ryan Williams. Nope, nope, nopety-nope nope. Nope.
Break a tackle every once in a while. It won't hurt.
Ryan Williams is a special talent. You're not always going to have that. But you also shouldn't depend on that in order to have any running game at all.
This.
Mike Imoh and Cedric Humes were not NFL caliber tailbacks, yet we had a sustained ground game with them in the backfield. We have lost something in that area that is way bigger than the players on roster.
Don't I know it.
Brewer is not the best player VT has had - but he is about the coolest - love that guy. He needs to coach one day.
Def looks good with the headphones on.
I hope the savior returns Friday. The Brewer halo effect will soon melt away to the lackluster QB seen most of last year. Texas Tech was real excited to have him......"We do not need you. Goodbye!!!" So he drives east and gets fantastic???? Hardly!!! He was in their system and was not worthy to keep so in two years he is the savior??? I do not buy the ole Lefty praise since Lefty has proven not all that great.
I am very upset with the fair weather and undeserving fans who have trashed a good kid. Motley has taken a beating for this team and deserves praise. He gave up his body and had poor support from his line, coaches and fans.
Yes, I sat in the stands and watch every heartbreaking play. I am a life long Hokie (not just a fan) and a strong Beamer supporter. I am embarrassed by the writings of many who are just fans and not Hokies at heart.
No, I do not believe Brewer will do anything unless he has protection. He lost at least four games last year by his poor decisions and lack of skills. Remember the Wake Forest debacle??? Yeah, Motley took us down field and we need Brewer!!!! Interception!!!!
I am sure Brewer is a good kid but he is not a hero by any measure. His injury has made him bigger than life but when and if he comes back, we will not be successful unless the line is much better and play calling is better and desire is better. Brewer is not fast enough, strong enough or smart enough to solve those problems by himself. Even Logan Thomas struggled with the same issues and he had more skills than Brewer.
Sorry for the long rant but we need to look at history, see through the smoke and quit bashing a kid who left a lot of sweat and blood on the field the last two weeks. I wish Brewer the best because I want the Hokies to be great again but I do not see the savior in this Texas kid.
I don't see anyone on here bashing Motley. The guy came in to a rough spot and has given it his all and I, personally, give him credit for that. I've never been a huge fan of his, but I do see his potential. But, like every player, he has his flaws and the Pitt game dragged them out into the light.
As for Brewer, I doubt anyone would call him this team's "savior." However, everything we heard out of spring and especially fall camp was that he was miles better than he was last year. Even though we only saw him for two and a half quarters against OSU, I was inclined to believe what I'd heard. He was 11 for 16 (68.8%) for 156 and 2 TDs with no interceptions, a rating of 191.9 (all this per ESPN). That was an extremely limited sample size and I do definitely remember a couple of those passes that were off the mark but he looked good (but I'm no coach).
He got the hell knocked out of him last year and kept coming back for more. Remember the UVA game? The guy got his shoulder dislocated, popped it back in, and came back out to help the team get the win. That mentality alone makes me want him on the field. Brewer has left a hell of a lot of sweat and blood on the field for this team, too.
For someone who wants to call out people bashing Motley your post comes pretty dagone close to bashing Brewer.
To add on to RebJanus's comment about Brewer's improvement, he is also the guy who spent quality time over the summer with his o-line building their relationship, whether it just be hanging out or by organizing a putt-putt tourney. He has that aura around him that screams leadership, even when stuck on the sideline as the coaches have noted. I'm not criticizing Motley's leadership ability, nor will the o-line be miraculously better with Brewer behind center, but there's something intangible that Brewer brings to the huddle that I think can make a difference, and I'm sure his teammates can feel that as well. I also trust Brewer to go through his progressions better than Motley just from having more live game experience, so hopefully he knows once a play is shot and to either scramble for yards or just throw it away. I just hope he doesn't go in unless he's fully capable and not prematurely just to change things up.
All that being said, I still appreciate and give props to Motley for giving us his all. He's a heckuva fighter too.
The Brewer halo effect will soon melt away to the lackluster QB seen most of last year. Texas Tech was real excited to have him......"We do not need you. Goodbye!!!" So he drives east and gets fantastic???? Hardly!!! He was in their system and was not worthy to keep so in two years he is the savior?
This isn't a fair characterization. Brewer was injured, and when he was out his replacement gelled with the Texas Tech team, so he didn't get his spot back. He looked for somewhere else to go, and Virginia Tech was a good fit. [This happens all the time in college football.]
In terms of Loeffler, the jury really is still out. I know he has a lot of critics, but I really would like to see how he does with his first string players.
As far as Motley, I think he's better than people give him credit for, but he needs a little more experience, a little more protection, and some better game planning and execution.
Yes, there are issues, but some should be fixable. Will it be enough? We'll find out soon enough.
Ugh I need to change my username. But creativity:me::upstanding citizen:Marcus Vick
I think TheFourthEdmunds is available.
O.o on a day that started out with my toilet flooding my bathroom overnight you have no idea how much I love you right now.
Serious question, Joe, can this be a thing?
EDIT: If TheFifthFuller is ok with this, of course
You don't happen to live in Terrace View do you?
Nope, I'm out in Foxridge
whoa
maybe if you're a real Hokie as you claim you should worry less if Brewer is a savior or not, and support more a kid that no matter his ability has stepped in and led the team when needed and continues to show he is willing to put his body in jeopardy to win.
and, just a suggestion, step off the soapbox because you're not good at it.
VTHOKIE57 is the #1 Hokie and he gets to choose who else is a Hokies too.
Don't you remember when he was appointed to this position??? /S
I want to make sure I get this straight...you're very upset with fans that have "bashed" Motley, but you proceed to rant about pretty much everything Brewer -- past, present & future?
Everyone needs to chill with the negative votes for this comment. Clearly he is fired up and is speaking from the heart. I honestly only up voted this comment so it was visible to me so I could read it as it was blurred out with the -10 votes it had. I hope he is wrong about Brewer, but it's not like what he is saying is a stretch. brewer hasn't been great as a Hokie and very well could be very rusty or playing hesitant if he's afraid of getting hurt again. As a Hokie alumni and fan for life, I don't care who is behind center just as long as Tech gets the Win.
Our legendary moderator will be able to comment better than I, but this comment is getting killed not for the opinion, but for the overall negative approach and the less than subtle vitriol spewed about Brewer. This same opinion could have been expressed as "we need to hold our horses (on treadmills?) and see what Brewer can do after this injury before we start buying ACC championship tickets" and gotten the point across. This guy just went full on hate session ranting about people in the stands hating.
I'll only pop in to add this here:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/community-guidelines
Rants are generally stupid. I'm not going to -10 this guy because it will end up in a ban. If the community continues to disapprove, so be it. Let the record reflect that I think it's a dumb comment and unnecessary blasting.
Am I wrong in thinking that someone with a very similar screen name went on a similar anti-Brewer rant recently? I notice this guy has only been a member for a couple weeks, and I think that's about the time the original Brewer-basher got community banned.
I think you are correct. I have recently seen new usernames that are very similar (several pairs of "different" names). Nothing conclusive to go on, but if obvious trolling occurs, my hammer will be unleashed. No time for BS.
I ran a blog based on a similar theme for a few years... /s
I phrased that specifically for you.
Wait...is Illinois Hokie the proprietor of FireBryanStinesping.com?!?!
In a former life. All that got shut down, mostly after they named O'Cain playcaller and entirely after the Loeffler hire.
Thank you, sir, for the endless (almost) entertainment you provided me.
Glad the ramblings of a jackass had some entertainment value in your life. That was a lot of fun, but I'm digging this place way more.
I really wish your signature included the line, "Original Proprietor of FireBryanStinespring.com"
Thank you for publicly demonstrating the anger and opinion of so many hokies. lol
I have not bashed Motley. I believe he has been put in a hard spot and at times has done well. He does not have a lot of experience in the college game, but he is getting it now. The proverbial learning curve is inescapable. Coming into the season a lot of people including myself had high expectations out of Brewer. Naturally we expected him to be better in year 2. It is only natural that we feel more comfortable with him. No one even thought much about Motley until Brewer got hurt. Everyone was afraid he couldn't pass. They ran the Wing-T in Christiansburg where he played. He did better than we thought he would in the first two games. The ECU game was not lost by Motley at all. It was mostly on the defense and the officiating. Motley had good stats. Pitt was more on our offensive line. There again not on Motley. There was too much pressure that we couldn't protect him from and no run game. I hope this sets it straight about the perception about Motley. Now it is time to talk about you and your anger and insults aimed at Brewer. Why so much vitriol towards Brewer? He is a Hokie for life regardless and a player. Give him some respect. I just gave Motley some respect now it is your turn to give Brewer the same.
Definitely not bashing Motley - he has been a rock. I think most of the fans agree with that. Hell, we may be buying in to some false hope that a returning Brewer can right the ship. That said, I do thing Brewer at QB (if cleared/healthy) gives our team the best chance to win. We shall see.
Ummm, welcome to TKP?
Your post is bad and you should feel bad.
I mainly downvoted him because I don't want this site to come another hokiehaven type joke-fest where all the elder Hokies with a lot of money feel they can spew their hate on boards just because they think they're entitled to.
You're messing with the wrong site, my man. Might want to re-think your approach drastically.
So who do they get to hit Brewer and how bad does that person feel if the collarbone gets broken again? Is the d-line gonna do the nose game? Also, is this normal? This just seems like a really weird way to go about testing this......
I thought the same thing.
Please not Sam Rogers, please not Sam Rogers, please not Sam Rogers
Perhaps Motuapuaka? Brewer would just lightly fall forward a few yards onto the mat.
Uhhh, did you not see that piledriver smack down Moto laid last game?
I would let Brewer pick who does it since he is the one getting hit. I would recommend C.J. Carroll who goes about 160. That's what I would do. Definitely not Settle right off the bat...
Brewer seems like one tough kid, but I am stunned they are considering playing him.
Cannot imagine he'll be able, by Friday, to land hard on that side and not injure himself.
I'm sick and tired of hearing it said like this. They might as well just say "The main culprit? We're just not playing very good." It's really saying the same thing...
Well......they're not wrong.
I agree though
That is the main culprit. They just did not play very well the last two weeks. Pretty poorly, in fact.
For all the scores of ridiculous rationalizations and cures that folks have been beating around in their brains the last 10 days, it's really as simple as that. It happens to almost every team -- even the really good ones, except they do it only two or three times a season and they usually manage to pull out a win in one or two of those. It amuses me to end that people are so apoplectic that a team many projected to win 8 games before losing both its offensive and defensive leaders -- and is still fairly young and not particularly deep -- lost 2 consecutive close games. If we'd had been told that Brewer and Fuller were suddenly leaving school in August, how wins would most people have projected?
There's a decent chance they could do the exact opposite and play well Friday night. We saw this pendulum last year and we've seen it already this year.
The light at the end of the tunnel for me is that as bad as the team has played the last two weeks, they did only lose by 7 and 4 points. If -- and it's a huge IF - they had simply recovered the two forced fumbles in Pitt territory, there is a very good chance that almost all of the handwringing would not be occurring.
This cat has a point. Wins cure everything. If we had squeaked out victories the past two weeks, we'd all be clamoring for a one-loss VT in the playoff. Myself included. But instead, here we are hearing about "execution" and "lack of emotion". Truth be told, we just lost. We have so little margin for error, and we are making mistakes. That simple. Let's just hope our boys play smart, physical ball on Friday. If so, we'll all feel better about ourselves and the state of affairs. Lose? Then Beamer's seat just went from warm to scorching.
Hey now, the internet is no place for reasoned thinking and sound logic.
It's permitted, but you need to disguise it as a rant.
I think the handwringing is because Pitt and ECU weren't thought to be the toughest teams on the schedule.
In both of those games, VT seemed like the better team on the field, but they couldn't pull out the win in either case.
Those were both projected as comfortable wins.
Then, after the ECU game, comments like "pre-season" came up. It was like being poked in the spinal cord with a knitting needle.
Brewer broke his collarbone in week one, and four weeks later, they're talking about him being a "game-time decision". Kendall Fuller is out for the season. VT seems to have no offensive line or running game, and the defense is Jeckyll and Hyde.
It's just a little more "rock and roll rollercoaster" than we expected at this point in the season.
In what way was VT the better team ON THE FIELD in those two games. They were out-executed, out-hustled and out-coached (by both the opposition coaches and the VT coaches themselves)?
I can understand expecting to beat ECU, but Pitt? That was a troubling match-up in my mind all week.
And while the blowout loss to Navy had folks thinking ECU sucked, that 7 point loss to UF in the Swamp is looking quite a bit better these days. Will the real ECU please stand up? Everybody now discounts the Purdue win, but Purdue just took Mich St to the wire last Sat. Will the real Purdue stand up? For better or worse, without it's leaders I think expectations for consistent play from week to week are simply unwarranted for this VT squad.
College football is becoming like pro football...you can't really tell much from one or two previous weeks to conclude how a team will perform in the following week. I know it's a cliche, but it really often does come down to a handful of plays. Make 4 of those 5 plays, you could win big (Purdue). Only make 1 of the 5 and you suck (ECU).
I suspect we'll see some more of both this year. Hopefully as Brewer gets back and these young kids on D get some more game experience, we'll see more of the former and less of latter.
I was perhaps imprecise with my words.
When I said "better team on the field", I meant "better team" on the field (the team with the most talent), not better team "on the field" (that day).
I think VT has more potential than either ECU or Pitt in terms of talent. At no point did I feel that they didn't have the ability to win those games. It was more a matter of execution.
ECU is a scrappy team, and Pitt is a bruising team. In both cases, it seems that a good game plan might be able to highlight some talent advantages that VT has. Motley can execute if he can get through his progressions quickly enough. Somehow, you have to figure out how to get a running back through the defensive line.
While there is a lot of parity in college football, there are some differences between teams. I think most of us believe VT should have been able to win both of those games.
With all our injuries, are you sure we had more talent on the field? Not pos on that one.
I think so.
In spite of the injuries, VT was in both of those games to the end, and had ample opportunities to win them.
Maybe not physically, or in an X's and O's kind of way, but mentally, it does seem like a doozy of a two week stretch.
First, we have ECU, the scrappy little cousin who's trying to bring down the Goliath in their back yard. Their main goal of the year is to beat us, and they were extra brazen this year after getting us last year.
Then, we have the Kryptonite known as Pitt, who for some reason, always has our number, no matter how the season is progressing for either team.
Sure, and this week is no easier, with a decent NC State coming to town after a short week, and then Miami.
Man he is such a fucking warrior, too bad his body does not match his heart preventing him from playing on Sundays next year. I hope whoever is in charge next year finds some way to keep him as a GA to teach whoever the QB is next year how to lead and ball out!
Brewer is definately one tough kid, but the coacches need to take the high road on this one and let him heal. The last we need is for him to get crushed due to O-line issues and ina quick second, his career is over. If Frank does put him in and says he gives us the best chance to win, Frank needs to re-evaluate his priorities. Change the game plan to work with what we have, after all you recriuted all of these guys. Besides, I think we can beat NCST w/o Brewer, if we execute the plays called.
I agree. I just couldn't pull the trigger on playing Brewer. All of us...well, all of us except one...are going to be cringing every time he gets hit, and are going to be absolutely sick if he breaks that (shattered, apparently) collar bone again.
Frank was able to sit MV his freshman year merely to keep a promise when we were in dire straights at QB. He ought to be able to show the same restraint here.
I sort of agree, but I think at some point if he says he is good to go AND the doctors say he is good to go, how long do you wait for him to heal? I imagine he wouldn't be cleared to play if there was a significant chance of reinjuring it. My gut says the same thing, don't play him, but I'm not part of those conversations.
My only concern with Brewer playing this week is that the game is on Friday, following the doctor's appointment on Monday, so it's more of a concern about lack of time to properly implement a game plan.
But that's why Beamer and co. get paid the big bucks, to worry about issues like that.
I am tired of hearing this whole, we need to let them heal stuff. If the doctors clear him to play, it is because the injury has healed to the point it will not heal anymore and is the condition it needs to be in order to take a hit. That is pretty cut and dry.
If your argument is that he should not play because he hasn't practiced in weeks and is rusty therefor not giving us our best chance to win, that is a sound argument but that is a decision the coaches should make based on that information. If he is cleared to play, then he is medically safe to play the game and any hit he takes that breaks that bone would have broken it regardless of how much longer he sits out.
I'm not saying it happens at VT, but the fact that there are repeated cases of coaches allowing/encouraging/blatantly pushing kids out to play before they are truly ready is reason enough to not take it for granted that "cleared to play" means "should be playing".
" If the doctors clear him to play, it is because the injury has healed to the point it will not heal anymore and is the condition it needs to be in order to take a hit." Ughhh are you a team trainer? Orthopedics staff? Where are you getting the information to base this on?
As someone who's seen orthopedics way more than I'd like (at least every 3 years...hey seeing one right now for a Lis Franc fracture!), I find your POV to be less than informed. Orthos put ypu back into full use as soon as it will handle it, the basic stress of using whatever is hurt helps to keep the healing happening, and to heal in the correct manner, especially with bones. They stabilized it, and he's been using it for at least 2 weeks...but has he really healed the bones in 4 weeks? Most orthos don't let basic fractures out of protective wraps or immobilization for 6 weeks...My guess is no. They've stabilized the fractures with the metal, but that doesn't mean the entire bone is stable.
Maybe you're right and he is healed...the odds say you're wrong, but hey, I haven't seen his xrays or tested his strength and stability...hey they haven't tested the stability either...maybe we should wait and use those results?
Sorry I can't deal with this anymore.
Orthopedic surgeons go through four years of medical school, five years of residency and often an additional year of fellowship. What possess you to think that you would ever in a million years think that you will ever know more about the musculoskeletal system of the human body than an orthopedic surgeon? If an orthopedic surgeon says the bone is healed and he's cleared to play, then he's cleared to play. You're like the person who puts his symptoms on WedMD then proceeds to tell the ER doctor what tests to order because "you know exactly what you're looking for."
I've actually had a R midshaft clavicle fracture before. I was cleared to go back to the gym in four weeks. The reason why is the clavicle bone is well-supported by the scapula and the sternum, allowing the bone to heal far more efficiently than most bones in the human body. In fact, most clavicle fractures only need non-operative management for the bone to fully heal.
I am sick and tired of some people on this website all of a sudden becoming sports medicine experts. You don't have access to the player's xrays, you (probably) don't have the expertise of an orthopedic surgeon, a primary care sports medicine doctor, an emergency medicine doctor or even a sports trainer and you don't all of sudden become an expert on sports medicine because you happen to play a couple of years of football or because you tore your ACL in the past.
I'm not trying to be mean but after spending years busting my ass in pursuit of my MD, I'm not going let people belittle any doctor because they happen to know a little bit of medicine. Believe me, it is the height of arrogance to assume you know more about the musculoskeletal structure of the human body than a person who spent a decade becoming an expert on the subject. That's UVa-level douchebaggery.
Heck yea man, let em know what's up.
It's just that most people know what the "other" reality is. Our O-line issues caused his injury in the first place, and as of the last game, they need some work. Brewer is mentally tough, but isn't super big, so no one wants him to even hit.
My brother is in medical school to become an ortho doc. Whenever I see him, all we talk about it bones, ligaments, surgeries and the like. I can verify that he already knows about 50 x more about all of this than I could hope to imagine and he still has a ways to go. Any dedicated med student that actually makes it into their field of study as a doctor is going to know their sh*t.
Agreed totally. And the healing of fractures is totally different than that of muscles or even worse, ligaments and tendons.
A-Freaking-men.
As the post you responded to tried to point out, doctors do clear you for activity as soon as the bone is healed enough to support it to get your rehab. Brewer has been doing that stuff. Being cleared by a team doctor to play tackle football in a game is a different level of being cleared which is what he has been cleared to do.
Just so that we're clear, he was cleared Monday to practice, yes? But has he been cleared to play in the game officially? I know they said they were going to do that mat test and followup x-rays but I didn't hear anything following that.
I'm not 100% certain there's a distinction there. Medically speaking, I believe you get cleared for a return to athletic activity, and at that point, the medical staff is out of it. Cleared is cleared, from a medical standpoint. It then becomes the domain of the S&C staff and coaches to determine if said medically cleared player can take the field in a game.
H!ll f!cking yes, thank you, good sir. If I had a broken hoof, you'd be the first guy I'd come to.
So let me get this straight.... I said "My guess..." I said "IMO..." I speciaifcally asked where the info to assume that he would be playing was coming from at the beginning...
And YOU have the arrogance to accuse me of "UVA-level douchebaggery." Who was the douche again? While you're studying the medical field of your choice, and gaining all that "experience," maybe you should gain some experience in comprehending the English language and not pushing your faults onto others.
Oh, and I was right. It's nice that you really think you're hot shit, it really is...but I don't give a fuck.
Mods- feel free to delete this whole convo, the thread would be better off without the embarrassment of this douche's bad accusations and false assumptions.
There is no reason to resort to confrontational, dismissive, and derogatory language here. If you interpret the comment made above as a general reply to the dozens of posts, across multiple threads, of many people here prognosticating on things they don't know about, it makes a lot more sense. It's an attempt at perspective, and a good one. The UVA line is a joke. Your post may have gotten the reply, but there is no reason to start a war of words here.
My respect for you, has been dimished. Why else include the phrase accusing ME of UVA-level douchebaggery?
I'm trying to keep the peace, that's all. 7LoP provides some perspective, you rant at him. If he wants to defend his statement, I leave that to him. I took the UVA comment as a joke. If he intended it otherwise, that's something else. I'm just really sick of people bitching at each other here recently. Lots of name-calling and stupid shit that isn't welcome or necessary. We won this week, let's just be freaking happy for a few minutes.
I didn't get the sense that he was responding directly to you....just sort of a general statement. I could be wrong though...
If that was how he meant it, he sure didn't phrase it very well.
"Believe me, it is the height of arrogance to assume you know more about the musculoskeletal structure of the human body than a person who spent a decade becoming an expert on the subject. That's UVa-level douchebaggery."
I use the word 'you' figuratively ALL. THE. TIME. If you take offense to my posts because you think it's directed specifically at you then you're gonna have a bad time. I make lots of blanket statements and I address the general public as 'you' with some frequency. IDK exactly why I do that. I suppose my writing style in this forum is designed with the knowledge that several different people are reading it but wanting to make it somewhat personal anyway. Not sure if that makes sense. Anyway I try not to address anyone directly if I can avoid it. There are all kinds of differing opinions around here, which is awesome, and so some people are going to agree and others are going to disagree. I try not to single anyone out but I still say 'you' with the assumption that most readers understand I'm using it to address the general masses, and not a specific individual. It's probably best to assume that's how the word is used by others in most cases.
You know, you're right. :)
you think?
dammit Guitarman...you're always swooping in with clever pics/gifs....like..always..srsly
You teed that one right up for me. Couldn't pass on the opportunity :)
I do that a lot...Maybe I should ask Joe to change my username to GuitarMan's Caddy
Sounds like Mook is doing Mook things. This....was not entirely unexpected. I got high hopes for Mook Reynolds.
Gotta love the Mook.
I know - gotta love a guy who gets it done. He doesn't....mook around...
*YYYEAAAAAHHH*
Does anyone have a gif or video of the Edmunds dance routine?
been waiting for this myself.
That was honestly one the best parts of being at the game.
Edit, didn't mean for that to be a question.
#1 their dance #2 the blocked field goal #3 the ball being downed at the 1 yard-line
Yes, it was the best part.
I don't know if anyone else here saw the bald guy with the goatee dancing on Hokievision for an extended period of time, while a girl in the box seats behind him was pressing her face up against the windows... THAT was the best part of that game bar none.
Michael "The Bionic Man" Brewer with his reinforced clavicle:
After reading all the reviews and rants on TKP I see little hope for change on the field by the Hokies. This football organization has made no progress over the last 3 plus years toward returning to the 10 win season. Now I see this even getting to the point that we fans are so dejected that we are turning on each other over what should or shouldn't be done about it. I can only imagine what Babcock has to deal with from the big dollar fans. I hope he can sort through this mess and make the correct decisions to begin a solid rebound of the Hokie football program.
If the running back is saying that he is having a hard time finding a good rhythm because of the rotation the coaches should take notice. Everyone sees it but Shane. Find the best guy and run him 60-70% of the plays. Without a running game there will be no passing game.
I really thought more people would jump on that quote. Shane Beamer has our running game in a choke hold and won't let go.
Shane is just the RB's coach. The HEAD COACH has overall authority. I wish Coach Beamer would just exercise his authority and shut that stupid rotation shit down.
Every running back -- good, bad, or average -- who ever touched the ball says this. It doesn't mean they should.
Every running back -- good, bad, or average -- should at the very least get the chance to make a case for themselves.
I wouldn't put up such a stink over the RB rotation if the carries were administered differently. I think each running back should get an entire series without being substituted out. Maybe even 2 series back to back. When you're making substitutions before you've even made a first down you're not giving the backs a chance to show us what they can do IMO. Every single back -- good, bad, or average -- is going to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage sometimes. That's part of football. Don't put a guy in there for one play and then pull him out regardless of whether he got stuffed for no gain or gained 10 yards. Stick with him for the whole series and evaluate that body of work. I honestly can't find any value to this spot-duty mentality. How can you seriously evaluate each back fairly if they're only getting spot-duty?
Should everybody get a participation trophy too? This isn't little league. You get your chance in practice. We just don't get to see the mistakes and deficiencies that the coaches see.
Regardless the issue isn't really the distribution among RBs. There are plenty of examples of teams succeeding with multiple backs - and vice versa.
It's the distribution between QB and RBs to accommodate Motley's limitation and strengths. But 15 carries total by RBs - regardless of distribution - is a losing formula.
My guess is that when Brewer returns we'll see the RBs get more carries - and perhaps see it narrowed down to 2 backs.
I find it amusing that you bring this up. This is exactly how I feel Beamer is managing the RBs. "Give them all carries in the game so they all feel loved and needed". I don't know if you've noticed, but all of the backs have almost exactly the same number of carries each game. Shane's effectively giving all of these RBs 'participation' awards. Almost literally, now that I think about it. lol
I agree that this isn't little league. That's exactly why it boggles my mind that all of the backs get carries. Pick 1 or 2 and ride him/them for the entire game. No more of this cute nonsense with each RB playing.
I don't care if none of the backs are separating themselves from the pack in practice. If they're all truly even you can't lose by starting one of them and letting him play most of the game right? How can you seriously and fairly evaluate each RB on 6 carries in a game?
At this point, I have lost all faith in our coaches and medical staff in terms of keeping the player's best interest at heart when it comes to injuries.
I sincerely hope he sits until he is 100%, because I am very concerned he will re-injure his collarbone...or something else considering how terrible our offensive line has played.
The medical staff's job, which they do well, is to determine if the player is healed and it is safe to play. It is the coach's job to listen to the medical staff and if they say they are ready to go, that means they are ready to go. I don't know why this is an issue for people to grasp? Think of the malpractice lawsuits that they and the school risks by playing a guy who isn't ready to play and risking multimillion dollar careers. For everyone who isn't an orthopedic doctor who evaluates Brewer to say he is or isn't ready to play medically is ridiculous.
Seems to me like Kendall Fuller was cleared to play when he wasn't ready.
He had an injury you can play on...but it requires the ability to ignore pain. He couldn't ignore it enough to play at 100%...
That's inaccurate.
He had an injury that, if played on (as he did), would then require season ending surgery (which it did).
That's hindsight bias.
Perhaps the medical staff thought Kendall would be OK, or maybe they were making an assumption about ideal conditions and how it could play out. Maybe he took a bad step on the first play against OSU. Who knows when he actually tweaked it badly enough? None of us. All we know is the end result. It may have started out as a situation where he was hurt but not outside the normal realm of pain in football. There is a difference between "playing hurt," which all guys do at some point and "playing injured," which no one should do.
While we do have the benefit of hindsight, Kendall was clearly not 100% for the OSU game and the coaches said he'd been dealing with this injury since camp.
It seems to me that the staff screwed this one up. They were at best wrong about his injury and at worst putting him at risk.
That's inaccurate.
He had an injury that,
if played on (as he did),would then require season ending surgery(which it did).There fixed it.
I lost interest in them back in 2013, and I could be in the clear wrong for why but, but Exum had knee surgery and Rehab in Alabama and Kyle Fuller had hernia surgry in Philly. No where close to LewisGale Hospital
I kind of want Motley to start the game so we can find out if the O line has fixed its problem before throwing Brewer in. If the O line is being non stop blitzed, stunted and not picked up we need to have somebody in that can take a hit.
Except Motley was part of the problem too. I'm not jumping on him, but he doesn't make the quickest decisions on whether to throw it, when to throw it, and where to throw it. Make quicker, better decisions and that forces the D to back off on the pressure.
When neither the QB nor the OL play a good game, it just compounds each group's deficiencies.
True, Motley made every rookie mistake that he had been missing for the first couple of games. That said, I hope he has learned something and will be better.
Frankly he made them in the first two games too, but those teams didn't have the film, the scheme, and/or talent to exploit them. He was staring down receivers, getting hit from behind, and had a handful of damn near critical picks in the first two games.
I really don't mean to jump on the kid, but I just think he's probably no more than a serviceable backup QB at the moment who has been thrust into a scheme designed more for Brewer out of necessity. I think next year the scheme will begin to evolve into something a little bit more suited to his (and the remaining QB's) skill set -- regardless of who the coaches may or may not be next year.
.... or establish and enforce a running game that takes all of the pressure off of Motley. Therein lies the conundrum.
Michael Brewer's clavicle is now part metal.
Phase one of the Weapon X project complete.
You fixed it!
There's a difference?
Did he change the lighting or something? I don't see any changes.
Normally I would say let's double down on Brewer's vitamin D and calcium. But since he is part metal now I say throw in some iron, too.
I am predicting we come out with a different mentality and game plan this week. I think we will see the QB under center with more 22 personnel in the game (2tes, 2backs) and pound the ball. I think Beamer will look to get back to doing what we should do and what we were able to do against OSU and that is get a push up front. We will then hit some big plays in the play action game, likely Bucky and Mallek on seam routes and crossing routes. It will allow the OL to get fired up to go forward and hit someone instead of playing the mirror game of pass blocking and stretching the field east and west.
Just my hopeful guess.
Also is that Sam Rogers in the green jersey in the background of the picture? They are really embracing the whole hulk thing now.
My prediction: Brewer will not play this Friday. They instead will rest him. All this talk about him coming back is hype just to confuse and make the NC State preparation more challenging.
My completely uninformed gut says that if he's cleared to play, we see Brewer in a limited capacity just to mix things up for the NC State defense. Kinda like the inverse of last year with Motley.
I wouldn't be shocked to see Brewer trot out as the starter, but only get a fraction of the overall snaps over the course of the game.
FYI, Brewer is now listed as probable for Friday night...
Oh, so Zohn Burden said it himself, "On him to get those guys prepared." The exact point I made last week.
Can I just say that I love reading the message boards/comments on The Key Play waaaay more than I do on TechSideline? Bunch of Negative Nancy's over there, threatening to pretty much burn down Lane Stadium.
Love the optimism here....or really just the reasonable thinking. The issues with Hokie Football today have 85% to do with recruiting and staff management that was made 4 to 5 years ago. The staff and players are doing what they can today to win today. Obviously there are some issues that have arisen this season that need to be addressed, but take everything into consideration here. No Reavis, No Brewer, No Fuller, Thin on Mike LB, Bad Weather, Young O-Line and Secondary. Im not thinking of excuses here, but just take all things into consideration. I think not having CJ Reavis is hurting us the most right now.
I had us at 9 wins before a lot of those issues came about that we have no control of. With those issues I have us anywhere from 5 to 8 wins. But we are still capable of winning. So just take a moment to realize the adversity we are facing and lets take it to NC State. We are still very capable of having a very good season...when taking everything into consideration.
Very important for us to get 7 or 8 wins this season and to take a step forward from last year and to prepare for the D Lawson years. Pivotal game Friday....Go Hokies.
If you think TSL is bad, try 247...
all 3 QBs get rep at practice this week. biggest concern.... one of franks big changes was moving shane to QBs coach. now we will have 1 RB and rotate 3 QBs.
I lol'd a bit