Please note- it is difficult to see everything in these clips, so don't read too much into this report. It is primarily to benefit those folks who don't have snapchat. If you do, follow vtfootball.
Coach Fuente is using a shirt system to recognize players giving maximum effort in the 5:30AM conditioning work. Maroon shirt means you are doing well. It caught my attention that Cam Phillips was in a white shirt this morning. He is a guy that is going to be counted on to make a maximum contribution, so that was troubling. A couple of guys looked really fluid in bag and cone drills, particularly Terrell Edmunds (very quick and smooth coming in and out of cuts.) I saw him, Chuck Clark, and Adonis Alexander in Maroon jerseys.
Houshun Gaines looks the part of an ACC DE. He has filled out. Ekanem, Baron, Mihota and Gaines were three DL in Maroon. I did notice one other player in Maroon but I didn't recognize him and never got a good look at his shirt. Baron looked very quick and light in drills. I still think he could factor into the defensive end discussion with so much depth at defensive tackle. The camera guy loves filming Tim Settle. The big man was moving ok in drills, but I think they still want to get him around 20 pounds lighter.
Jonathan McLaughlin was also in maroon.
The kids are working their tails off, folks. THREE CLAPS AND A WOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Comments
Long time no see French!!! Glad you're still with us. Thanks for the feedback from the snaps. I have to admit that I don't really know what I'm lookin' at. I'm just happy they're working hard and doing drills.
#notAfootballGuru
#couchCoachAnyway
For those who don't know, French has been busy battling the Feds over cobia regulations, an important issue to those of us who fish the salt. It is good to have him back here. Looking forward to his take on our new DB coach.
Thanks. As IamVTFish pointed out, the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council has announced plans to close cobia fishing in the Atlantic on June 15th despite a record harvest and more fish sighted than any time in the last 20 years. I have been active in the effort to stop the closure and amend the Magnuson-Stevens act to incorporate more recreational fishing data into annual catch limit calculations. Also, I have been getting recharged and spent a significant amount of time watching Justin Fuente's offensive game planning. I haven't gone anywhere.
You, sir, have some 5 star get after it twitter rants. I greatly appreciate them.
I'm glad you're fighting it because cobia are fun to catch and fucking delicious
Basically, if Virginia doesn't fight this and by doing so go out of compliance with federal law, you won't be able to keep a cobia after June 15th (or some negotiated later date that will mean Virginia institutes a boat limit instead of a one per person per day limit.)
What triggered it? More fish, and more caught, than any year since 1990, if you believe NOAA's data, which is compiled by dock surveys. As someone who doesn't go offshore frequently I am not one to be too judgmental on those dock surveys, but I have never been checked upon return to the dock for catch information. I have been polled on the pier though. Either way, the idea that there were more fish to catch means the population is overfished is pretty absurd to me. Meanwhile, ACLs for king mackerel were set at 6 million pounds for the same area. Only 900,000 pounds were caught, and nobody in fisheries management seems to be concerned.
Hey, I'm all about catch and release fishing if I'm into catching a species that needs protecting. I don't fish to fill the freezer and have released enough fish in my lifetime to feed the number of people at UVA's spring game for a hundred years with enough left over to feed their 5*s to boot. That said, sound science and professional management should be the arbiter of what those protections are, with a healthy respect for the participation of recreational fishermen, not just commercial interests. Too often, politics gets involved and rational management goes out the window. Virginia's idiotic bifurcation of the menhaden fishery from all others for political favors is a good example of how sometimes the wrong people are managing things the wrong way for the wrong reasons, to benefit a few over the health of the species.
Not that I have an opinion or anything. GO FRENCH!!!!
Do not get me started on fisheries management by the politicrats. Makes me want to smash people's knee caps with a cast iron frying pan and they all deserve it.
Try coming out here to SOCAL where they think that they can "Close" a lake. I couldn't believe the first time someone told me that there were hours that a lake was open.
Lake Manassas(hole) in Gainesville Virginia has been "closed" for several years. Kayaks, boats and swimming in the lake are pretty much forbidden. So is fishing from shore, but I still do it anyways. Oh but the lawdogs can still ride around in their boats patrolling it. Such BS
Oh you can't even get up to the lakes here when they are closed. They have them gated off. It's ridiculous.
Every time I read something like this, I visualize an actual barrel filled with pork, and it makes me nauseated and hungry at the same time.
Damn, I'd love a barrel filled with pork right now.
So I scanned the proposal and don't pretend to understand all of it, but as someone who used to front for very unpopular federal public hearings (not fisheries related) and make public use decisions re: natural resources...and as someone who has a wall full of spinning tackle...I'll offer some thoughts, Q's etc.
- the collective we have demonstrated more than enough capability to overharvest certain species
- the people who run the stats on everything from fisheries to waterfowl harvests, while human, are typically world class in their field
- no one, not a single soul, in the state or federal natural resource agencies gets any points, bonuses, or awards for screwing over the public...usually quite the opposite
- are you more concerned about the likely reduction in recreational catch or about whether they have have the science right?
- which would hurt more, a reduction in limits, or a crash in the fishery?
- as someone with no dog in this fight (I don't fish offshore and I don't buy cobia at the fish market to put on the grill), I can say without question that far and away the most effective way to influence decisions is to have the numbers on your side, e.g., if you can show that CPUE (or whatever they call it today) is unchanged over time at the current harvest rate, then perhaps that calls into doubt the legitimacy of breaking out the Florida component in the Atlantic (but if FWRI had anything to do with it, I'd take it to the bank)
- solutions oriented comments are orders of magnitude more likely to be implemented
- if a commenter comes across as questioning the integrity of those making the decisions, no one on the deciding end will hear the rest of their comments
Best of luck. We are all better off when people participate in the process, ask good questions, and hold people accountable. Just remember, the people catching the grief aren't making the proposal because it's fun.
As I stated above, I want the science to be right. I will forgo harvest for the health of the species, especially when I trust the science and the agencies tasked with applying it. Like you, I generally expect the experts to be top of their fields and I respect their expertise.
The Virginia State Legislature, however, should not be in control of the management of menhaden.
No doubt; and I know nothing about the state's natural resource folks.
Most of my state contacts are in Florida and some in Georgia. Florida's game and fish leadership and their research arm is top notch. I've been brought in on a couple of AFWA task groups looking at various policies and organization-wise it doesn't get any better that FWC.
I also know several of the stats people with USGS who did quite a bit of wildlife population work for us. These folks, as well as the group at the Florida Wildlife Research Institute are legitimately world leaders in what they do.
Any time public interest (votes) or big money (contributions) is on the line, politics will try to find its way into decisionmaking. On the fed side, I made a point of maintaining a firewall between the science and policy. I wouldn't let researchers weigh in on policy, and I wouldn't let the policy people see anything but the final outputs from the scientists. It was always critical to make sure there was no hint of bias in either direction. As you said, trust in the process is crucial to public buy-in.
I know there are many good data folks working for NOAA and other agencies. I don't feel that the catch numbers are far off, although with cobia those numbers are estimates based on dock surveys that anecdotally don't happen. I have never been surveyed. Many of my friends in the charter business have never been surveyed. To assume that the number of people in Virginia targeting cobia almost doubled, and the catch increased 60% in one year seems to be a bit of a stretch.
My biggest issue is with the allocation. The catch for the entire Atlantic was within the statistical mean for the last 20 years. The decision to split into two zones, and the allotment of a more larger portion of the ACL to Florida either was 1) a mistake/error and should be corrected (and it wasn't, GA-NY got the same portion of the ACL in 2016 as it was split up last year) or 2) A numbers game where the GA-NY zone was going to go over no matter what and this allowed for a closure. The SAFMC has been dismissive of public comments and hasn't publicly conducted an economic impact analysis. The MSA as presently written says in it's very first paragraph that fisheries regulations shall not be made that effect individual states, regions, or areas disproportionately. That has clearly happened in this case. Cobia are incredibly cyclical and migratory, and most knowledgeable folks feel there is one population. Water conditions may have driven a larger number of fish into the Bay (anecdotally- everyone who fished for them this year said numbers were way up, especially late in the season.) An outlier should not be a driver for a closure. Period.
And, if sustainability is a concern, the states stepped up. Virginia put in a one fish limit per person before this came to a head. They are considering boat limits (3 per day per boat.) North Carolina reduced their limit to one fish per person per day last week and is considering an increased size limit. Those steps decrease damage to the biomass while retaining the right of citizens to access the fishery in a responsible manner.
Of all the fisheries in the Atlantic, cobia may be the healthiest. The same folks who say the cobia population is overfished set an ACL for king mackerel at six million pounds. Only 900,000 were caught. I don't know which is scarier- the only 900,000 pounds being caught or the people who make decisions about fishery management thinking the king population could sustain a six million pound hit and be okay.
French, while I can only speak for myself, I will say that I have been surveyed twice at the dock, once in NC about five years or so ago, and once here in Mathews a couple of years ago. I have also encountered two dock checks here in the county when I wasn't on the water, just stopping by the ramps to see 'sup and confab with returning fisherpersons.
When guiding on the New River in Giles County, I used to tell my clients that they should prepare themselves to see everything from bears and deer swimming the river, turkeys flying over or on the bank, bald or golden eagles, etc. The one thing I told them they wouldn't see was the game warden. In 26 years of fishing the New in Giles, I got checked twice. Point being, as much time as I have spent on the water and the lack of enforcement I encountered made me think the people responsible for working the fisheries were spread too thin. Listening to the saltwater fishermen around here, you'd think the marine police were behind every piling, but if the folks responsible for management and surveying are spread as thin as our game wardens (OK, I know, Conservation Police) it seems impossible for them to competently do their jobs and produce viable plans.
not gonna debate any of that...all good points and you should demand (and they should have) good answers
Two things I have no patience for:
1. People who think they know better than bureaucrats when they actually don't
2. Bureaucrats who can't give you a straight answer to a straight question
+++
On a more positive and totally unrelated note for the fisher people, I just returned from a 12 day road trip to Florida with a friend/Hokie/fraternity bro of mine with my Carolina Skiff in tow. We fish a day and a half in Flamingo, which is downright beautiful if get the chance to go. I recommend camping versus long day trips, but do it in December thru February, bring long sleeves and firewood. I cannot imagine how bad the skeeters are in warmer weather. They were bad enough as it is. That being said, the snook habitat down there is unreal. I managed to catch my first two snook, on self tied flies, DIY, which is about as cool as it gets. The larger of the two fish, 24", slammed a personal design of mine that I am about to take to mass market.
The larger portion of the trip consisted of us camping on Sugarloaf Key and boating/fishing around there and west of Key West. We caught lots of little barracuda up to 24 inches, mangrove snapper up to 16" and assorted other snapper. My secret spots for tarpon and crevalle jacks held only small jacks. The water has been too cold for tarpon. The highlight of KW fishing was finding a well hidden hole that had a school of ten plus permit in it, unfortunately we spooked them. It also had 10 foot sharks and some serious cuda, which we hooked four of and boated one on spin gear, at 44". That fight is like being hooked to a freight train. I had one at least that big follow my fly, not sure what I would have done if he had eaten it. This hole in the middle of a monster flat is firmly entrenched in my mental GPS, so I will return. We also did lots of partying in KW and rented some scooters to cruise down the streets, putting out the vibe on Valentines Day, always a good time.
On the drive back up I dropped my friend off in Ft. L to spend some time with his mom and I stayed in Stuart this past weekend with work friends, one of whom is also a fishing guide. Despite all of the horrendous fresh water run off that is destroying their fishery (human caused from Lake O) my buddy Jeremy had me jump 4 tarpon on fly and hook 11 docklight snook, landing 6 betweent 20-25 inches. Also got a fat sea trout. Bigger snook were hooked but into the pilings they went and sharp gill plates/oysters did their work. You really have to play those fish perfectly. The snook were not eating typical size bait, but only really small shrimp. Bonefish flies did just the trick.
Overall great trip and I cannot wait to get back down to all three spots again, I really want to explore some canals via kayak a local guide clued me on in Flamingo. It's a serious high effort, high reward full day adventure that is now on the bucket list.
I'm still fairly new on TKP and still don't know how to put pics/GIFs in these posts. If someone can give me a quick run down I'll be happy to post fish porn.
And if you haven't hooked a 25 inch snook on an 8 weight, go do it. They are my new favorite fish
Thanks for the report. Wish I could have been with you for that trip. As for the pics/gifs, I am in the same boat with you there, but there have been several attempts to eddycate us technophobes. I think if you go back and search French's last thread about fishing, you can find it there. One day I'll learn how to do it, I have promised to do so if I get a big enough (gotta be a trophy) fish, but since that promise, I've not gotten the biggun I need to force me to live up to my promise. Like you, I have a ream and a half of fish porn, but I'm trying to live in the present and not the past, so my smallmouth, walleye, musky, catfish, etc. are staying in the file. Hopefully, this'll be the year.
Edit: Oh, and for you who may care, my buddy just sent me a message, pics to follow (he said), of three big walleye caught in the New River yesterday/last night, going 9,11, and 13 lbs. Supposed to get them on my phone which I never use, and if I get them, I'll maybe bite the bullet and try to post them. I must admit that apart from my many friends, I miss the winter walleye fishing in the New. Things are kinda dead around the Chesapeake Bay after the rockfish head out.
Snook fishing is an addiction. I lived in CFL (Brevard County). Did it a LOT! What you say is true. It is also a very nocturnal adventure most of the time. Stuart is a great place for snook fishing (Jupiter Inlet in the summer is incredible! - but its catch and release then).
I live in Christiansburg now. I miss my Red and Snook fishing in the Grant and Sebastian area of the ICW...
Are you looking to post anything regarding what you found with CJF's offensive game planning. Have heard the 'offensive mastermind', 'QB whisperer' comments, but am hoping to see what is behind it.
SPOILER ALERT: yes
I'm very patiently waiting.
To be fair, Lefty was a QB whisperer for us too - too bad we just had sucky talent (relatively speaking) that we couldn't have been better.
It was pretty telling that most of our skill positions were underclassmen minus Malleck and Willie Bryn
where "sucky" includes "frequently injured"
Yep - Government Logic: There were more cobia caught last year than normal and therefore the cobia must be overfished. Never stop to consider that maybe - just perhaps - there were more cobia caught last year because there were more cobia in our waters.
As an OBX'er and waterman, I can attest to the fact that it was the latter last year... the cobia were everywhere in good numbers & with good size.
Our government has never been accused of being great stewards of our fisheries and they are working hard to make sure that doesn't change.
My opinion, purely on the snapchat film, is that Settle is the David Wilson of heavyweights. I'd like to see what he would have done as a wrestler. I'm also hoping that he can get to the right weight, which is always a tough thing for a big guy who has had success at a higher weight and a lower level of competition.
HWT cap is 285 lbs, settle aint making that any time soon
HWT?
Heavyweight
Heavyweights you say..
via GIPHY
Lars
lets perkisize
I can't wait to see Tim Settle do a back-flip.
I hope the arches at Cassell can hold him!
I'm glad someone got the reference and shares my hopes and dreams. :D
That may be the most visually incongruous thing I've seen in months.
My mind tells me it's impossible, but, there it is: A flabby marvel of grace.
and presumably while intoxicated too. Impressive indeed.
youd be amazed at the things you can do that you wont remember when you drink a four loko! right johnny?
via GIPHY" target="_blank">
via GIPHY
I get that a lot.
Wonder if he catches rabbits?
Instead of catching rabbits, is he stalking and grabbing buffalo chicken wraps?
No, he's stalking and running down buffalo.
And eating them whole.
Raw.
Without sauce.
Anyone compare these morning workout drills they are doing to previous ones at Tech or other schools?
A lot more running and quick agility drills than last year at least
These types of workouts are a common place in college football and have been gaining popularity in high school programs as well. The program I played for in college had winter conditioning too. They usually coincide with the beginning of spring ball beginning.
I can say that the Tshirt thing is not new. Frank did this for years. Not sure if this is "common" and is done at most schools for these types of early spring workouts, or if this was something Bud brought up to CJF and he thought it was a nice idea to keep the tradition going...Either way, it isn't new to the VT Football program.
So after watching the workout videos from the other day and then from this morning it's clear that Sam Rogers is not just a leader. He is the leader.
Oh and I swear I felt my office shake when Settle did that roll. He's not the most mobile yet but man I forgot how big he is.
Live feed from SCHokie2011 office
via GIPHY
That dog was wasting no time GTFO of there
Man's best friend my ass. Left his man in a quick second.
I bet next time you're quicker to follow his lead.
You bet, Kville. When my dogs run, I'm right behind them looking back to see what scared 'em up. They'll face up with about anything on four legs, heck, I had a cat that ran a young bear off of an upstairs porch, down the walk and across the driveway. Now, my dogs did avoid that cat, but that seemed smart to me. And for the record, I'm definitely #team dog, not #team cat, but credit must be given when due.
"So you feel 'women and children first' in this day and age is somewhat of an antiquated notion."
via GIPHY
Avoiding that like it's my job!
Edit: I'm an idiot.... took me way too long to reference the Seinfeld joke
Haha all good, I was hoping someone would get it was a quotation, even though it's a relatively obscure Seinfeld reference
How do you live with yourself?
It's not easy...
Somehow, the animals are always first to know....
Ah, I smell football!
go take a shower!
That must have been it!
I smell sex and......candy
EDIT: No one got the reference?
Call your doctor
We all got the reference, just think you should still see a doctor.
You're probably right lol.
As a fan of mid-90s rock, I certainly got the reference. Just thought it can be taken out of context and knew there was an easily accessible meme to do so. Have a leg, because I got a few at your expense. No harm intended :)
Non-taken Broseph Stalin!
Marcy Playground is #teampie.
Disco cherry pie, that is.
THIIIIIIIS is some really fine TKP Reply/Callback Combo action.
Who's that lounging in my chair?
Edit: I am in a parking garage and my upload was too slow...I'm out
Get out of my chair.
Is it platform double suede?
Mmm....lemonade.
If I'm not mistaken, God's Gift was in a maroon shirt in a room full of mostly white shirts at one juncture in the snapstory.
He got it very early last week. Sam Rogers got it early, Augie Conte got it early. I believe Terrell Edmunds got it early as well. Those are the ones I remember off the top of my head.
Good to hear that everyone has to earn them.
Was Motuapuaka in a white shirt or was it someone with similar hair?
I believe that was Sobczak because it was with other Dlinemen
Correct
Adonis was the highlight of today's snap to me. He was sooooooo fast on the film. Cam's white shirt was worrying due to the earlier stories of him busting his ass after practice freshman year.
Maybe coach knows that he can get more out of Cam, and just motivating him to work hard.
His patter step and change of direction is so smooth. I know it would leave the Hokies woefully thin at safety, but I really think we could see Alexander at corner. After Facyson finishes, it is a lock. A huge question for me this spring is to see if Scott and Mitchell pull the trigger this season.
I thought they would have tried Alexander at corner last year. I'm on board the Alexander at corner train. I'm hoping Allen grows up a lot this year and gets some minutes.
I love the Key next to your name... I had to go get one too
I'm in full support of the support of those who support my support of VT everything.
It feeds my totally normal and good for me addiction of everything Hokie
this! as an alum, the $84/year is the least I can do to ensure this sanctuary of VTdomness continues unabated. Not only for me, but also for all the current and future students who might not be able to afford it, but still benefit greatly from being a part of the Key Play community .... oh yeah, and they're sometimes pretty fun to have around.
Also interesting to see that these Maroon shirts can be and will be taken away. 3-5 were taken away and replaced with white ones.
Fuente and staff are not playing around and the phrase on Beamer Way is consistent high effort day in day out
How can you tell? The snapchats are moving so fast I can barely keep up with who is wearing what.
#sauces
bingo.. but not that 247 sources.. my dan mullen tipoff source
...so are we to assume he's right or wrong? I'm pretty sure we didn't hire Dan Mullen. /s
I was going to comment that in the 247 post, they mentioned that some Maroon shirts were taken away.
You can and WILL lose your Maroon shirt if you don't hustle every single day.
Fuente don't play that half-assed nonsense
So Settle was in a white shirt?
The XXXXL maroon shirts are on back order.
I think you're missing two X's.
Yup. Settle in white.
Perhaps we should not overreact too much about some people having white shirts. We, as a community, have had some issues in the past drawing baseless narratives about the effort of some individuals (like Bucky who was actually among the first few to receive his maroon shirt) over the past few months. If everyone had a maroon shirt, the bar would be too low.
I don't see too much overreacting as much as people just pointing it out for those that don't have snapchat. People mentioned Cam and Tim being in white but those have really just been observations. I do agree though about the bar being too low if everyone had one.
The good part of these workouts is that it is establishing an expectation for these players to carry into spring ball and during the summer. I think we are going to see a different team from a physicality standpoint this fall. They will come out firing.
My intention was cautionary, I don't think the majority of people are too worried about it, it was more a proactive attempt to prevent some of the effort rumors we've seen in the past. I am a big fan of this whole system overall and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the snapchats, makes me feel good about our focus.
In a way it is also good to see guys like Cam in a white shirt. We know that the coaches aren't playing favorites and everyone is equal.
Walker in maroon Sobsczak in white.
I thought it may have been Walker but wasn't sure. He looks like he has slimmed down a bit.
No rumors. By all accounts shirts are distributed day to day. Every day players have to give maximum effort in drills, however performance in those drills is calculated. I don't think it is fair at all to assume that the kids in white are dogging it. It is a process. Plain and simple.
I think Settle represents one of the unique false narratives in the fan base. People see him and his size and envision a unique two gap defensive stopper up front, ala a Vince Wilfork. What most fans don't recognize yet is that Tim doesn't play a two gap game. He doesn't want to eat blocks. He wants to penetrate and disrupt, and to do that at a high level with starter repetitions, he has to improve his conditioning so he can play with maximum effort every snap. He is getting there. The other kids are working hard. Keep in mind, some of these kids have just been on campus a few weeks. Other veterans are used to a very different type of conditioning. As noted above, it sure looks like there is much more emphasis on flexibility, change of direction, and cardio.
#whiteshirtsmatter
So are the maroon shirts kind of like yellow jerseys in the Tour de France? Changes daily?
yea but less steroids and more balls
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
...*sob*
I don't think it changes daily as much as just because you earned it, doesn't mean it is yours. The coaches can take it away if you aren't keeping up that effort. You own the white one, you are leasing the maroon one and the payment is effort.
I am enjoying the videos on my iphone, but has anybody been able to get this working on a PC? I tried something called bluestack that is supposed to allow the use of mobile apps but it didn't work.
If you have an Ipad you can download it on there. You just have to select "Iphone Apps" at the top on the screen on the app store since there is technically only a phone version. This is what I did and it's certainly better than watching them on my phone.
I have an IPad, I have Snapchat downloaded but after that what do I do?
one step at a time
Indoor practice facility is sweet-
So sweet that
DukeUNC and BC are trying to get their own. Leaving Miami the only school without one built, being built or planned.http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/91115/bc-announces-plan-for-indoor...
To be fair, Miami doesn't really need one. The weather is one of the few remaining selling points that program has for recruits.
It still rains there. The coaches REALLY want one apparently.
If they hide indoors, how will we ever know that they're back?
ESPN? Pretty sure I've already heard them hyping "They're Back" as a main story line for next year, what with a new coach and all.
Great question though. Made me laugh.
FTFY
Good catch, I just saw Duke on the next article and just typed.
haha..so I saw the post-edit comment first and when I saw your 'correction' I thought you were correcting him on UNC by dropping the 'U' and I found that really funny.
Did I miss last two days of the snapchat or just has not been one?
They come out Mon, Wed, Fri. Wed hasn't shown up yet.
Noticed in one of the twitter photos that there was a guy with the last name "Payne" wearing a maroon jersey. Anyone know who this is? Shawn Payne was announced as leaving the program.
Fuente talk him back? He left the program but probably was still enrolled in school
If he got talked back in and is now wearing the effort maroon shirt, that speaks mountains to Fuente's message being sent to these kids.
I mean, as far as I can tell that's him. Hair is still the same.
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/players/payne_shawn.html
Last I had heard, he had academic issues and requested a transfer. Payne was killing it in the weight room so maybe he got his classes together?
Hypothetical: If he left the program officially, did he have to walk-on or earn a scholarship offer from the new staff?
Based on Twitter its him
Can't wait to see him bring...the Payne this season.
Link to Method Man's "Bring The Pain"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0BlXy3Roj4
That pun was... payneful.
I think it was reported awhile back he was back as a walk on
He back!
The U? Not so much...
Bitter confirms Payne is back
Interesting.
Marshawn Williams looks HUGE, in a bad way...the guys over at TSL said they've heard that he's up to 250....
Is it a reason to be concerned?
I know he hasn't been able to do a lot of cardio after his surgery, but he could eat well and maybe do low impact cardio like swimming?
I like the idea of a 250 Lbs running back if he didn't lose any speed. Having blown out my knee, he will need to hit cardio and the weight room hard as hell to bounce back.
That's the main reason to be concerned. He's gotten up to 250 on a bad knee. I'm not hating on the guy. but he wasn't very fast in 2014 when he was 225-230. Don't think gaining 20 pounds in gonna help him.
I think he should be shut down this season to ensure that he completely heals.
McMillian, Shai, McClease should be able to carry the load. Add Rogers at FB and we're fine.
What is the word on DJ Reid?
Yea I don't think there was much chance of him playing. With his rehab he wouldn't be ready until mid season the earliest, unless we lose 2/3 of the Mc's and Reid still isn't ready to go he should try to get another medical waiver
Don't forget Peoples. He should help carry the load as well.
Does anyone know if Jerome Wright is still with the team as well?
Who wouldn't? But how many guys put on 25lbs - with a bad wheel - and don't lose speed? That number is probably close to zero.
I'm sorry, but the answer we were looking for was "72".
We can put Tim Settle back there for a handoff. He has great short burst speed and physics will be on our side.
I think one fumble-recovery-for-six each game is already enough to expect from Settle.
Is he the new Elan Lewis?
It's strange that they didn't have him in an ACL brace when he was trying to return. I've worn mine for basketball this season and haven't lost any speed from before I hurt mine. You see several players wearing one that have torn theirs (Deshaun Watson) and even players who haven't torn it but wear it for precautionary measures. Cardale Jones wears the same exact model as me. They should be putting more athletes in these.
Looks like a lot of guys have earned their maroon as of today.
is that Alexander busting out some yoga moves on the left?
I wish more players would - yoga is amazing for sports
When I saw the snapchat I was like damn that a lot of Maroon, very encouraging to see!
#allmarooneverything
^this.
And Coach Fuente should make any slackers wear #allorangeeverything.
Just my opinion.....
Fuente:
"Don't make me break out those godawful 2012 helmets as punishment!"
Players:
Why would our players wear a Tennessee uniform?
Do I get the assist?
You always get one from me. You are the funniest guy here.
Those look like UT's new uniforms *ducks*
Interesting that the players have their names on their workout jerseys this year. Probably a very real "getting to know you" session going on.
With six new coaches, most likely.
Did you ever notice how frequently Frank would refer to players by number rather than by name? It wasn't the majority of the time, but over the last couple of seasons I picked up on it a lot more.
Team will continue to have 5:30 and until every player is in maroon. This am might be the last day from what I've heard.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
I think my boss has this framed in his office...
I'm sure the ones still left in white will be getting some "encouragement" from their teammates to pick it up.
Whats the betting line on this? Got my money on March 3rd.
Interesting that Moto was still in a white shirt. The slow mo part of Settle was different.
Yep.
Settle has one quick first step.
Settle was just as quick as those guys in that 5 yard shuttle and finished it off with the tumble. That is good to see. I would like to see him in Maroon though.
I agree with OP that it is weird that AM was in white
Since he folded under pressure last year a few times, do you think this could be a ploy to mess with him to see how he reacts to not getting rewarded and get him to push through some mental wall that held him back last year? Talking about AM
Liked the scroll across, Evans, Motley and Lawson. Those guys are all big QB's.
That's EXACTLY what I thought when I saw those dudes. They are huge QBs
Insert tired and gratuitous TE reference here.
Settle looks great, very encouraging!
Watched it this morning and said to myself, "People on TKP will be talking about two things. 1.) Why is Motu still in white? 2.) Lawson looks huge."
Bingo.
While I loved some of Motu's big hits last year, more often than not he left the impression that he wasn't making the plays. I'm not surprised that he's still in white, although I hope he becomes a stud this year!
The shirts aren't awarded for performance though, they are awarded for effort. Motu always seemed to be flying around and playing hard, just often in the wrong place
Yeah. That's why I'm not surprised. Didn't mean to imply that it was because of his performance; it's not surprising that his effort isn't on top.
Looks like Motu finally got his maroon shirt.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a defensive footbally player ever score so much while being out of position as Motu. It was astounding. Pleasantly so, but still astounding.
Out of position means probably not blocked, meaning, has the freedom to get more loose balls, and backside interceptions
Typically out of position for Motu has equated to "more easily blocked." But darn it all when he isn't blocked, he scores.
I'd rather he be in position and keep the opposition from scoring. I'm not going to say he has cost us more points than he has scored, but...
I think Moto was started a year too early because of depth reasons. Playing Mike in bud's scheme requires a very high football IQ that not many young players can step into and do well, for Chase Williams things didn't seem to click till his senior year. Moto will improve this year, he seemed to get better by the end of the year, and I am very excited about Erin Carter's potential
May have already been stated, but Motu is three weeks out of surgery so he was unable to do everything. Only reason he hadn't earned a shirt earlier. From what I hear the guy is busting it harder than almost anyone else out there and he's coming off an injury. The guy may not always get the best results on the field, but no one can argue his effort and heart.
and he's a great kid too. Spoke to him after his injury near Beamer Barn. Awesome guy
Is there ANY WAY to see snapchat vids without having snapchat?
nah
A friend with snapchat you see everyday.
My wife mentioned that some "boutique" website she follows has a snapchat where they will post videos with discounts codes and what not. I encouraged her to download snapchat to gain access to said discount codes... as long as she added vtfootball too that is.
So now we have a shared snapchat where the only two people we follow are "The Pink Lilly Boutique" and "vtfootball."
Misspelling "the Pink Lilly Boutique" by just a little bit could be a very bad thing when snapchat is involved. Spelling counts big time in Snapchat
Haha sorry about that. Yea that's the name of the website but I guess the snapchat name is "Shoppinklily"
Now you can go indulge that guilty pleasure a little easier...
Looks like a completely different team...gonna be a good year fellas!
Is it just me or does it seem like the Edmund Bro's always end up stealing the show in the snapchats. Love their charisma.
Tremaine certainly has the swagger!
This is a great use of social media.
Just signed up for snapchat in order to keep up. Entertain me!
So I typically don't even check the snapchat outside of Mon/Wed/Fri but I just happened to check it today and saw that we got a surprise entry. It doesn't display content with a ton of substance but it's basically players taking the the videos themselves during what I'm guessing is voluntary, player led practice this morning. The videos don't really show them practicing too much but rather them really just giving some shoutouts...
At the very least it's interesting to note who all is there. I noticed several of the QB's got airtime and some other starters as well but I would love some help in identifying the other players.
Bucky juuust about busted his ass this morning. Good save.
Whatever they're doing obviously works. Marshawn looks like a completely different kid already. Hes still probably 230+ but he's lost a bunch of weight. How long has this been a month? 6 weeks?
I didn't see him a month ago, but saw him today and I was thinking "who is the DT with the long blonde dreads"
He looked 'out-of-shape' to say the least, if you told me he was 280 in the first snap however long ago that was, I wouldnt even have questioned it, maybe it was the lighting, but he looked a heck of a lot better this morning, still much heavier than his freshman year but better..
was that Ford in white today?
*Starts sharpening pitchfork.*
Yes. Don't worry. He is still WR1.
exactly! I like it. just for the record, I'm not freaking out over who is in white and who isn't. I thought it was Ford, wasn't sure. I think what it means if he's in white is that everyone on the team in Maroon is really busting their tails and that is encouraging.
he like moto is coming off surgery and not able to do everything right now.
I think it is building the mentality that taking days off won't go unnoticed. If they are this quick to pull a maroon jersey from a team leader, the others take notice and realize there are no favorites. This will also carry over to the field and readjust their mindset towards taking a play off on game day. I like seeing the enthusiasm from the guys, there is a lot of vocal noise from a lot of different guys.
Motu was busting his ass this morning. I was impressed with his quickness.
Thought the same thing. Good to see he finally got to a maroon shirt.
Is it just me or are the players looking faster/quicker today than in the past videos? Especially in the drills where they have to break down, chop their feet before changing direction.
Future is looking bright for this team
I saw the same thing. The range of movement has really improved in such a short time. A lot of guys that were stiff three weeks ago have really improved and their lower body control is impressively smoother and quicker.
It makes sense, if you practice something for a few weeks, you ought to get better at it.
When I see how fast these guys are even on the college level it reminds me why I didn't get any letters to play college football!
These dudes are flying!
Looked like everyone was in Maroon this morning. So that's good!!
Sure it makes a sound but the odds of it hitting anyone is usually zero.... except when the Hokies come to town with their football team and a football crowd.
Trying this from mobile but the Twitter machine had a glorious picture of leather clad Vance.
I believe that is a sauna suit (sweat suit or whatever you want to call it). It's designed to make you perspire more while you work out. I bought my dad one recently because his current sauna suit at the time was a trash bag and I wanted him to look less like a homeless person while he works out.
Yeah, I tend to agree with you. The straps on the wrist really give it away but I thought it was good for a morning chuckle regardless.
Whats the point of a sauna suit if you aren't a wrestler or a fighter trying to make weight?
In Vice's case I'm sure he was just tired of verbally telling people he could stomp their faces in. Now they know- no questions asked, the fact he chose the snake black leather model gave his intentions away.
Was the chat this morning really short? Only got to the first stretch?
Sat next to Sam Rogers in an exam this morning. He mentioned workouts but said there was no conditioning?
That's because to him it wasn't!
Question : this stems from my ignorance of the NCAA rulebook. How are coaches permitted to run workout sessions but not practice?
This is all minutia to be honest.
"Practices" tend to involve actual technique coaching, as well as structured activites that work towards implementing football plays. This is stuff like catching balls, adding formations, drilling plays, layering fundamental football technique under the coaches instruction. You only get 15 of these in the spring, something like 18 or 20 during the fall camp and additional 12 if you make a bowl game. They have to be declared as such.
Workout/Offseason conditioning stuff is not really directly tied to teaching guys "football" things. So getting guys conditioning up etc is not really a practice since they aren't being taught "football skills" or practicing "football plays". The coaches are there to instill their attitude and set expectations but right now they're very limited in what they can "teach about football". There is no limit on when or how many of these you can have, only a restriction on time. So you have X amount of hours each week for these sorts of activities and you can split that up however they want.
To add to this, thats why the new S&C is so important to the culture of the team. He gets to spend way more time with the kids than the "football" coaches do during the offseason when that "teaching football" component of coaching is so heavily restricted.
easiest way to explain without the NCAA shit.
if a football/footballs are out on the field and coaches are present it will be considered a "practice"
This is the kind of short, to the point answer I was looking for. Thank you! And thanks to the NCAA for figuring out how to regulate things into the point of hair splitting.
Anyone know anything about the mentor mentee thing at the end of the snap chat video? Is that only a spring break thing?
Not sure, but I doubt it. It looks more like an experienced player given the responsibility for the progress of a younger player. Which is great on so many levels. It makes both kids more invested in the program and not just themselves, there is a built in check and balance going on for both parties but especially the mentee who may feel inclined to take reps/days lightly because they might not see a ton of action on the field if any, and it always allows some of these kids to see if they like the feel of being a coach. Fuente has been cited as saying he wants to try to cultivate that urge in some of the kids that are interested in that path because of the route he took to coaching.
All speculation. No sauces.
For anyone who may not have snapchat or just wants to be able to view work outs more than once Josh Bot, VT's Director of Football and Technology, posted a neat workout compilation video.
So we're doing back squats again? We had switched to front squats last few years I believe.
If I'm not mistaken, under Gentry linemen did back squats and skill players did front squats. Since JC Coleman was setting/breaking records in the Front Squat while guys like Augie Conte and Wyatt Teller were consistently the top performers on most of the other lifts, I'm pretty sure that they had them doing different squat lifts by position/size.
I want that job
"Director of FaT"
(not sure how I got the job, just sort of fell into it)
/s
Who's the big white guy with the beard (at around 0:40, right before "SMART" pops up)?
Back at school and new snapchat this morning. Big Tim working the weights at the end.
On instagram as well. Tim Settle reppin 405 on squat rather easily.
Nice... so he'll be able to squat the entire LOLUva OL by the time the season starts.
Anyone know why the team got a new snapchat account?
No insight, but if I had to guess it's just to align with the Twitter handles. VT_Football is for official news, HokiesFB is geared towards recruiting and fun stuff.
It appears the HokiesFB handles are no longer just for recruiting purposes. The Twitter account now states it is "The Official Twitter Account run by the Virginia Tech Football Staff". I'm assuming that means @VT_Football isn't run by the Virginia Tech football staff?
@VT_Football is run by Pete Moris, Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications.
And HokiesFB is run by Chuck Cantor, I believe.
Vermont Football got mad.
Funny you should say dat. I was in Moab Utah in the fall, back during our Michael Vick run to the Natty Champy Sugar Bowl, and we were watching the Thursday night game against, I believe, West VA. I went to the can, and as I passed the bar on the way back to the table to the four folks who were actually watching the game, this drunk guy did a double take on my VT hat. He looked at me, looked at the television, then looked back at me and said, "Man, I didn't know Vermont even had a football team". I clued him in, told him about Vick and declared that that was our year and that they would remember me come the Championship Game. He was glazed over and like, uh huh, but I'll bet someone at that bar remembered my declaration come New Years. I know I have related this tale on TKP before, so forgive me if you've heard it, but it was a moment I'll never forget.
Good on you... Awesomeness = Moab Utah. Camping under Skyline Arch with a million stars overhead. Ahh
New snapchat will be running coverage of Proday tomorrow all day
Someone let us (me) know when a new snapchat story goes up so we (I) can see if we (I) added the right Hokies account.
Posted an hour ago.
Alright so I have no problems admitting that I am inept with social media and as a result I need help with this new snapchat thing. Sam Rogers is telling me to add HokieFB but isn't that the name of the old one? Please someone help me before I make Sam mad. My life may be at stake.
I'm not sure it's not already too late for you.
But for the rest of you. You can simply type 'hokiesFB' without the @ sign into the name search and you should see the new name.
Also just noticed that on the VT Rec Sports facebook page, they posted pictures of the intramural basketball champions and I just noticed this men's champions pic...
Facebook Post Here
It's interesting at least to notice that Fuente seems allow his guys to play intramural sports in the Spring like Frank did. I had not heard about his policy on this yet.
PS: Imagine getting boxed out by Settle. Ouch.
Edmunds2, Settle....anybody else I should know?
That's all I recognized but then again those two guys are pretty recognizable.
there's a limit to the number of varsity athletes you can have on a team, in a sport that they don't play at the varsity level (Settle can play basketball, but not with too many other guys from the team). If I remember correctly, you can't have any varsity athletes play intramurals in their sport (Settle cannot play intramural flag football)
You're correct. However I doubt many coaches let their players play intramurals during the semester that their actual sport is being played anyways. (ie. football and flag football in the Fall semester)
Go play intramurals, Brother!
Haha I wish but with the sport I played at Tech (not football) our coaches actually didn't let us play any intramurals throughout the year. However after I graduated I did take a job as an intramural coordinator at a small college for a while so I got my fill of intramural sports then.
Back in the mid-late 70's, the Termites intramural flag football team primarily consisted of ex-football players still on campus after exhausting their eligibility. They also had Keith Neff, who may still have the VT pole vaulting record, as an RB. Needless to say, a tough team to play against. I remember one year the team I was playing on having VT's heavy and light heavyweight wrestler, a shotputter, and I think the hammer throw guy on our line. Ugly game, blood was flowing, and the Termites beat us 6-0, our only loss of the season.
That's awesome. The place where I ran an intramural program had a small college but the Grad program was actually the largest part of the institution. As a result we had a decent amount of guys enrolling that had just finished up playing college ball. The team I played for was a little bit of an older/staff team. As a result we would have our friends in the admissions office give us a heads up when we had a new D1 guy enrolling so we could get the jump on recruiting. It was a small league but extremely competitive/cutthroat.
In particular I remember on one occasion we had a guy enroll who had been a WR at UNC and then had been playing arena ball for a few years. We always made sure to explain the rules thoroughly but in his first game with us his instincts kicked in and he stiffed armed a guy in the face so hard he busted his nose. Good times those were.
I have one of those shirts too! I feel special.
We won the B division one year when I was there.
I've been dunked on many times by varsity football players in McComas. It's always a good time.
First Spring Practice snaps are up. I love how they are really playing up the QB competition. It is amusing though how they showed passes from Mot, Evans, and D-Law but showed JJ and Click both handing off. I know that means nothing but what is a football forum if not a place to make pointless observations and speculations.
Quick snap judgement. Evans and Lawson look smoother then the others.
Yeah, but did you see the way Click is able to hand the ball off like that!?!? I'm telling you, it's hard to order these guys 1 - 5 right now. /s
So I have downloaded snapchat and added HokiesFB, but have not seen a thing. Am I just social media illiterate or has there just been nothing sent out for the last two weeks?
Id try opening snap chat hitting the ghost button at the top go to Add Friends - Add by Username and type in HokiesFB without the @ sign. For me, even though the names looked the same, they were two different accounts, the one without the @sign in the name is the one you want to follow.
From then you should be able to just see all their stories from spring, hope thats helpful from one Snapchat illiterate user to another.
HokiesFB snapchat will not "send" you anything directly. You must periodically check the HokiesFB Story (Snapchat visible to all friends for 24 hours until it disappears).
1. Open snapchat
2. Click on purple icon on bottom right of screen or swipe the screen to the left.
3. Click on HokiesFB account to view the story
Pro Tip: When watching the story, you can tap on the screen to skip to the next clip/picture.
This is probably the detail I am missing. I don't check it all that often and they must be expiring before I get around to seeing them. I am doing exactly as you described and just missing them.
There's a story up right now. You should be able to see it. If you don't, you're not following username HokiesFB.
I pray for clarity from the Seven Gods........... why is Snapchat so complicated?!?
Because you're old
Gotem!!!
Are you like 11 years old?