Camp Notes of Interest (8/13/13)

Between Bitter, HokieSports.com, and TSL there's a bunch of good information transcribed from the assistant coaches media sessions.

http://blogs.roanoke.com/andybittervirginiatechfootball/2013/08/12/monda... [Monday odds and ends: Kendall Fuller's role expanding]

http://www.hokiesports.com/football/blog/20130812aaa.html [Grimes still juggling along the offensive line]

http://www.techsideline.com/article/2013/08/12/loeffler-it-was-a-really-... [Loeffler: "It was a really good day"]

http://www.techsideline.com/article/2013/08/12/charley-wiles-on-teller-b... [Charley Wiles on Teller, Baron and Harley]

"I think, sometimes, a little bit too much is made of a certain five developing cohesion early on," Grimes said. "Chances are you're not going to play with that same five all year. So I think there is a lot of value to being able to rotate different guys in there. Even during the season when I know who my five are, I'm still times when I'm shuffling around a little bit. My starting guard might be my backup center, so there are times when I might be injecting guys into the lineup with the first group during the season because they've got to get used to playing together.

"There is some value to getting all five of those starters to jell. But that isn't at the top of my priority list right now."
Grimes added he wasn't worried about his players learning different positions as opposed to just one position. The guys doing the most moving around are Mark Shuman, Caleb Farris and Augie Conte.

"The way I coach, I coach them to know all the positions anyway," he said. "We take tests all the time, and they have to fill in every person the tight ends, the fullbacks and they've got to make all the calls. They've got to draw in all the responsibilities. I ask them to know more than just their position regardless for that very reason, so guys aren't confused when you move them around a little bit.

"The bottom line is you've got to get your best five guys on the field as an offensive line coach. If a guy is our backup left tackle, but our ninth-best player, then I've somehow got to find a way to get a guy on the field in front of him.

"Is it a little harder for them when they're playing more than one position? Yes, it is. But it also helps. If a guy has been playing tackle and you move him in to play guard a little bit, because of the nature of the position inside and the size of the players he's going against, he has to get his pads down a little lower, so that may help him in the run game. It also gives him a better broad picture of what you have to do on offense. If a guy has been playing guard and has to slide over and play center, then he has a little better understanding of what the center has to do and how he can help. There's give and take."

It seems like there won't be a firm starting five anytime soon, and the offensive line shuffling will continue until Alabama week. Although Loeffler said the coaches have a good idea at who some of their starters will be.

We asked offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler about the shuffling offensive line, and he he said Tech has some of the answers it is looking for. "There are some solidified, done-deal answers in my mind," he said. "But there are some scenarios and a couple guys that we're not sure on, so we're trying to find a best five fit."

There's also this nugget which leads you to believe the center in Grimes' scheme will have to be the most heady player, and there may be more of a course load for that player than under Curt Newsome.

David Wang said that Loeffler asks his centers to do more than Wang was used towhether that's true or not: "Ummm, just ask Wang. No, it's nothing that anyone else doesn't do. I mean, it's very simple. It's similar everywhere I've been. It might be different for him opposed [to what he was used to before]. But everywhere I've coached it's been about the same. Thats why I said to ask him. I don't know [laughs]."

Before reading Grimes' comments I was of the opinion that the sooner the o-line was set, the better off they'd be because they would be able to develop the communication and familiarity necessary to execute their double-team zone blocks. I still think this is important, but it's absolutely refreshing to have a coach with a clear plan, that he believes strongly in, that's supported by the overall offensive scheme and coordinator. The point about a tackle's technique improving because he has to learn the nuances of guard is something I've never considered before either.

On the defensive side of the ball, it seems likely Teller will redshirt (although I maintain he should play on special teams), and stick at defensive tackle moving forward. And perhaps Harley isn't in the dog house as much as Wiles knows what he brings to the table, and he wants to see what the younger guys do.

On Woody Baron: "Woody's playing well. I look forward to him going against Andrew Miller, David Wang, the guys that are going to be playing for us on Saturdays. He got 15, 16 plays the other night and played real well. I think Woody's a heck of a prospect. As are Nigel [Williams], Kris [Harley] and Alston [Smith]. If they come along, then we can redshirt Woody. Just whatever's best for the team. I don't have any have any problem playing Woody. He's an older guy, 20 years old, and he's a freshman. That makes a lot of difference."

On mentioning during the spring that Kris Harley needs to do a better job of staying on his feet: "Yeah, and he's been a little better so far. But we didn't do a lot of cutting the other night. We've been working it, but we haven't had a lot of cutting, chop blocks. Again, we're a week into a camp, and we've got two more hard weeks. We're going to work hard, get ready for that scrimmage on Saturday. It's a big evaluation. Then we'll have another one on that Wednesday, so those two scrimmages he needs to perform at a high level if he's going to win a job."

I'd recommend reading through those four links and am looking forward to the discussion.