According to Coach Beamer's website, Brandon Facyson will get reps at WR as long as Antone Exum doesn't have any setbacks with his knee— Jimmy Robertson (@jrobIHS) October 1, 2013
Not sure how I feel about this one.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
WHY??? I understand getting him on the field but still.
....I mean he's demonstrated that he has better hands than some of our receivers. That said, I know he's leading the conference in interceptions, and isn't he leading the nation too? I don't wanna see him move from defense.
I see where there's a need for talent at wide receiver, and clearly Facyson is a gifted player (he talked about his knack for laying out for the ball in high school during this week's press conference), but the kid has been a stud at corner and leads the nation in interceptions.
I am extremely confused.
Wait, I'm Batman?
Actually, I do know how I feel about it. I don't like it. I don't like taking our leader and the national leader in Interceptions and putting him on the other side of the ball. I realize he's fast and has good hands, but no. I can only imagine Bud's fury losing Wyatt Teller (yeah, yeah French, we know he should be on O-line) AND Facyson now to the offense.
Not sure I'm happy with this...but would rather have him ON the field on O than sitting and waiting on D. There will be a spot for him back on D for sure in the future.
Why?
This was made into a joke in the last thread, I'm not prepared for it to be legitimate... should I be happier about this than I am?
His ball skills are off the charts. So, yes, WR would be fine with me.
Haha, ball skills.
I'm glad this was the post that got me to 1,000 turkey legs.
Will the move help Virginia Tech win. If so I am all for it.
^Interesting. So he'll go both ways. I'm just ready to watch him make more plays.
There's nothing wrong with this. It's not like he's gonna be playing exclusively at WR. He's probably gonna be in there for a few set plays, a couple screens or maybe on an end around. I wouldn't be surprised if it's for no more than 5 plays.
We need his ball skills on deep balls. How many of LT's interceptions thus far are on guys not making confident plays fo r the ball? 3?
I honestly don't care where the kid plays. Either way he will make plays.
Did Darren Evans not lose some playing time to Ryan Williams after he got hurt and Williams set the world on fire?
In this scenario, I hope you're saying Exum=Evans and Facyson=Williams.
That's how I took it.
At the very least, he can fight the opposing DB for the ball when it's in the air!
That is EXACTLY what I was thinking!
I hate to say it... but I think Antone should be on the bench, unless Facyson can contribute now as a receiver unlikely. Our secondary is soooo good, it seems to have perfect chemistry, why mess with it?
disagree
Don't you feel that we should put the players on the field who give us the best chance of winning?
What if that is Facyson at WR? He is not a 5'9" Macho Harris, he is a 6'2" guy with great vision and great hands, and will go after it at its highest point. Sure Facyson has been awesome at CB and has more than proved himself there, but Exum isn't exactly a liability (remember Exum day care service). Dude has been busting his hide trying to get back (remember centaur). What if the best chance to win is Exum at CB and Facyson at WR. Both are ballers, and right now our quarterback believes the man with the best hands on offense is our fullback.
(Edit: Added
Per Andy Bitter:
"His playing time for North Carolina and all future games will be determined by how well the right knee tolerates practices this week and how quickly he re-establishes pre-injury cardiovascular endurance and pre-injury skill levels.
Torrian Gray anticipates Exum and Facyson splitting snaps about evenly at field corner against North Carolina. Kyle Fuller will start at boundary corner, with Kendall Fuller as the nickelback.
That diminishes the role for Facyson, a 6-foot-2, 188-pounder who has shown great hands. He was a two-way player at Northgate High in Newnan, Ga., catching 31 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns as a senior.
Truth is that if Exum isn't back as his old self, he ain't going to get the job. Not much risk. I'll take the Exum of last year.)
Oh, I agree, if Antone is the DB he was last year and Facyson can be top WR, I support the move. But Facyson has played better in each game this season than Antone did in his best game last season.
How long will it take Antone to return to last year's level? Can he play at the same level Facyson has been? Can the secondary maintain the same chemistry with Antone/without Facyson? If not, can Facyson contribute enough on offense to make up for the drop in quality of defense? How will this transition effect (however little it might be) his work as a DB?
If this is the best move for the team, I'm all for it. I'm NOT OK with giving Antone his spot back just b/c of seniority. This is a team sport, the team's success should come before any individual's success, no matter who that individual is.
I recognize that I could be wrong, but as an outsider looking in, I don't think this is the best move for the team, short or long term. Hope the coach's know what their doing...
Also, no disrespect toward Antone, the man is a hard worker and a great Hokie. Just a tough situation all around.
EDIT: this tweet makes me feel much better about the situation:
im not happy with this move simply cuz Brandon could possibly be one of the very best Cb's to come through tech. We WILL NOT fix the wr problem this yr so there is no sense in moving him when we have cam Phillips coming through next yr.
Wondering if Danny Coale 2.0's knee injury is worst than previously thought.
This is exactly what I want to know too.
Byrn was in blue Tuesday. Knee heavily wrapped, but he was still out there.
What's goin on with Charlie Meyer?! Haven't heard anything about him in a long time...
He caught a pass in the GT game.
If Byrn is hurt, more time for Meyer. They aren't going to be asking Facyson to do what Byrn has been doing. Different skill sets.
Won't we be sending some confusing signals to future DB recruits? Why not rotate the CBs and create some depth?
If they are going to be rotating him with Exum until Exum can cover his role for the entire game, i can't disagree here too much. At least they are keeping him on the field, in the pace of the game, albeit on the offense. I really don't like it because I am afraid of the chemistry of our DB's being lost...but if all things are equal--get brandon on the field.
#AllFacysonEverything
As long as it's not a permanent move where Facyson doesn't come back to play Defense I'm fine with that. Our WR corps is thin as it is, he has phenomenal hands, and if his closing speed can be used to get separation from defenders then there's another plus. Having a surplus in the DB's is nice and if it gives us a temporary boost on offense I have no issue with it
Actually think about it, They did the same thing with Macho. He played defense and got some reps at wr. That's exactly what we will more than likely see. You gotta remember Exum and Kyle both graduate this year. Brandon Will absolutely start at CB next yr opposite Kendall without a doubt
I was just about to post this - tons of successful DBs see both sides (well, not tons, but some). If it helps us get more talent on the field, sure. And, I mean, it's not like this will ruin him in the event someone gets injured back there. I'd think of him as "Starting Corner B" who dabbles in recieving. Splitting time with Exum would allow him to be fresh enough to play both sides too.
DeAngelo Hall too.
I was upset about this at first, then I realized this isn't a bad thing. I don't think Face-On is going to "exclusively" play on the on the offensive side of the ball. When Exum comes back, Face-On is going to be the 4th CB so he'll continue to play defensive as well. He'll just be thrown into some WR packages as well a la Macho Harris in 2008.
For us older folk, D-Lo was more dynamic in that role than Macho was. Plus, he contributed in all three phases of the game (in the same game)...take a look at his stat line his Junior Year. The key with both D-Lo and Macho was that they were starters on D as well.
Facyson's ball skills are special, but it would pain me to see him limited on the defensive side of the ball.
THAT MIAMI GAME.
I'm looking forward to the Facyson-Dadi Nicholas twin set.
That would be a thing of beauty.
Maybe even throw in Kendall there too. Wasn't he going to originally be the two way player anyway?
I say the experiment will be similar to when we used DHall for a few plays on O. I doubt he will be getting as many reps on O as the primary Wideouts.
Get the man on the field anyway you can - he's proven he can be trusted in primetime.
why not put kendall on offense and start exum at nickle? kendall was a more productive wr in highschool than facyson was i believe
No matter what the Wr problem wont be fixed this yr.So I really see no reason to move stud Cbs at all. Brandon And Kendall are gonna be absolute beasts at Cb and I think they will end up being the best Cb duo we have had if they keep progressing the way they have
The basic reason is the difference between nickel and corner. Nickel is playing press coverage on the slot receiver which kendall is really good at doing, hence Facyson has 4 INT's and Kendall has 1 (i think). Facyson is playing corner and plays off the receiver in order to read the QB and hopefully jump routes. Facyson relies on his closing speed whereas kendall has to be explosive off the line and play very close to the receiver. For this reason, Facyson is the first one out when exum returns.
I was kinda thinking about this.
You know when i first heard about this I was upset. Now this could be pretty awesome. He definitely has ability to do it. Plus he has been hyped so much and is such a playmaker that if he lines up on Offense the D is definitely going to key on him which will do nothing but help our WR group.
He can catch the ball no doubt, but as good as he was at Wr in highschool he is even better at DB
Whatever happens, I just hope Facyson has a positive attitude about it. Who knows, maybe he thinks this is a great idea to keep himself on the field. I'm always a fan of not screwing with a good thing, but I think we have such depth at DB that we can produce a good product no matter what. As long as #31 has a good attitude about whatever he's doing, let him have at it.
Ok, I am not very happy about this news at all. You can see the chemistry across the board with the defense. I understand Exum was great last year, yea yea yea... But look, he just came off of a major injury. How is he even going to be at the level that he was last year? (i.e. RGIII).... You're potentially going to move the leader in interceptions on our team, I dont care if he is a Freshman or a 5th year Senior, you're going to have him taking extra reps on offense... I really hope this doesn't happen.
Exum was awesome last year. No one covered Sammy Watkins better than him last year. It was bad that he injured himself, but you cant treat a person like that. Not saying get his spot just because, but that he deserve an opportunity. It is not like Exum is a liability. Even if: Exum<=Facyson but Facyson>>>Knowles, Myer, Byrn, or Stanford, then Team w/Exum at CB> Team w/Exum on bench.
Logan said Rogers has the best hands on the team. I can see where the coaches are coming from.
Dudes, Anyone remember how worried and disappointed we were when we found out Exum couldn't play against Bama. How much we liked his humer during the summer. What an awesome thing he did at last years bowl game. Are Hokies really that forgetful. I for one am still an @IamSwag1 fan. I am glad he's finally cleared and can't wait to see him on the field.
I like it! I trust Tone to lock down the Field Side, plus we are in desperate need of playmakers on offense if we are going to contend for a Coastal crown. Way to go Beamer on getting outside the box!
I know that we don't just happen to somehow stumble into having one of the best defenses in the country year in and year out. I trust in the coaching staff's ability to put our best players on the field.
This is fun to discuss on the various available forums...but I believe this will work itself out.
Exum is not going to be ready to play at D-1 level. They'll give him the shot, and BY ALL MEANS, it's worth a shot...but he won't be able to go on that knee.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Either way you look at it, Brandon will be starting CB next yr without a doubt.
Agree with most here. If its just Facyson getting some reps fr some certain packages on O and still mainly playing D and rotating with Exun as needed then great. If its Exum to CB full time not happy. But I can't see the coaches being that niave to put a guy who has missed the whole offseason back into the lineup full go his first full week of practice back when the guy he is replacing is playing lights out and leads the nation in INT's. that doesn't make any sense. I have to default to my trust in the coaches that they know more than I do in this area and are going with the former and not the latter.
I thought Kendall was All-State WR back in high school as well as one of the best DB prospects in the country. I would have thought he would have been the first to move to WR, and honestly I think Facyson (whose name I've learned to spell correctly faster than I thought) is a stud at DB.
Having said that, I'm sure the coaches have a better idea of who should stay at D than I do. The only thing that bothers me about this is that we've moved guys around the secondary before. Kam, Exum, and now Facyson, and none of them went back to their original position (Facyson pending). Kam is now playing a position in the NFL where he started at VT, but eventually moved out of because of need, Exum started at safety and has moved to corner out of need (and assuming he goes to the NFL, who knows where he'll end up) and now Facyson is moving out of his corner position. Granted, it's to get him on the field, and he's an extremely talented player, but is it wrong for me to want to see him stick at one position, play it for three or four years, and excel at it?
I'm worried just because I don't know what Exum will look like when he returns. Will he be running day care again or will he be a shadow of his former self? I'm worried, but...in Bud we trust. In Torrian we trust. I guess I'll have to take it on faith, as these guys have more than proven they know what they're doing, regardless of whether I understand it or not. I guess I just hope that Exum isn't being given his position back simply because he's put his time in, and that he's being given his position back because he's on top of his game and has re-earned it.
Exactly. What if Facyson is slightly better relative to our current receivers? In that case, the offense will latch on to him there even though he may be a mediocre receiver when compared to the rest of the NCAA. However, he is already on the path to being one of the best corners in the NCAA hands down. And he's only a true freshman.
I'd think it would be better for him to develop into the very best corner possible than have him become a mediocre receiver just because the rest of our receivers are bad. The offense won't let him go back to the defense if he proves to be our most reliable receiver.
Won't he get hit as a WR more? I'm worried about his health. He still hasn't gone through a whole year of Gentrification, right?
I wonder how Brandon feels about this? I always over-analyze what people write on social media, but a picture he put up 8 hours ago said, "Prepared for the worst, but still praying for the best." Don't get me wrong, I love Antone Exum, but they need to find a way to put him in without changing where Facyson is at. I'm sure he's all for helping the team and he made that clear in the press conference the other day, but still... He's done nothing but prove himself. I wish there were a better way for to incorporate them both.
Well he will be starter for the next 2 years (assuming he goes pro early.)
Given that he said he wants to be a heart surgeon, my guess is he stays in school and gets as much education as he can. That's good news for us!
Hopefully, but when you get offered a million dollar contract, most of you're original goals will take the backseat to playing in the NFL. I mean there isn't much better than being paid a ridiculous sum of money for playing a sport you love and have worked for over his entire life.
Yeah but then there is christian ponder who was a rhodes scholar and stuck around for a while. Facyson strikes me as this kind of guy. Million dollar contracts are nice, but if you have a career ending injury, many players don't have contingency plans.
I think you're confusing Christian Ponder with Myron Rolle.
yes, that is my fault, ponder talked about him and I got my thoughts confused.
Top college players these days can take out insurance policies through the NCAA in case they get hurt and never make the NFL. I believe Jadeveon Clowney has a $5m policy, and if he makes the NFL he will pay the NCAA back for the insurance costs with his salary, and if he doesn't make the NFL chances are it's due to injury which will earn him his $5m policy, out of which he'll pay back the NCAA. I see Facyson potentially taking out such a policy and sticking around, at least long enough to finish his bachelor's. That way he's set up to go on to med school once his NFL career is over.
Heart surgeons make some decent coin as well. Star football player salary is millions and trends downwards with a very short overall career span. Medical doctor career - spans a whole lot longer and salary is always trending up. Btw, they don't stand the risk of being severely injured on duty. So smart college players always get that degree for a backup plan.
There is a better way - Start Exum at Free Safety! But I still like the creativity of the coaching staff to get Fayson on offense with the crowded secondary we have.
The kid certainly has the ability to make an impact at receiver, but he is a true freshman. He is balancing being a first year student, learning all the complexities of Bud Foster's weekly adjustments, and the nuance of each individual receiver he will be covering.
Now, you add route running, alignments, blocking assignment, and catching the ball. And, you have four wide receivers and a tight end who are all contributing and a fifth receiver that we spent all off season hearing how great he was waiting in the wings if someone isn't healthy.
I hated it when Macho tried it. I hate it more now.
he's doing so well it's be a ton for a young guy to take on. I don't like it either keep him at cb and he has potential to be an all-american one day
I seem to be in the minority, but I'm cool with the idea. Even if Exum only takes 25% of snaps Fayson has shown he has the conditioning for a full game. Why not let him get a series or 2 on O. Put your best players on the field. I don't think it would be a change beyond this season. And the kids got a good head on his shoulders. Saying it's to much for him is cutting him short. He's proven himself on and off the field so far.
I remember him saying in the summer he wanted to play a bit on the offensive side of the ball. He is very committed to helping the team anyway he ca. He is a stand up guy and a true hokie. But at the same time I agree with French a few comments up. He is a true freshman and its way too much for the kid
Not sure I agree we all thought starting as a DB was going to be too much now look at him! The kid aspires to be a brain or heart surgeon I think he can handle learning a package of receiver routes and it's not new to him since he played both ways in HS.
Tell him to get his 2-way Facyson!
I just feel that this kid is another level so I'd hate for us to change anything on D. I say he co-starts with Exum and gets a few snaps at WR but not a lot. I want his focus to remain on D though.
I don't like this at all. My biggest worry is Exum reverts back to the player he was at the beginning of the season if he tries to play too early, where he was getting interference calls every game due to not being used to game speed. I want him on the field, but I also want the best possible secondary on the field and right now Facyson has 100% undoubtedly proven himself. Has a freshman predominately man coverage CB ever led the nation in interceptions 5 games into the season?
While we're at it, let's let Facyson kick, too. I say this only half jokingly
I don't understand that
He was better at cornerback then he was at safety.
Isn't it also a matter of leadership? The safety calls the defense, and if Exum hasn't been a safety in about two years, then he's not going to be the best person to be the QB of the defense. Sure, he's a senior and has played in the system for years, but he's going to be rusty.
Here's my idea (you can thank me later):
If we can have them both at corner (not in dime) then I'm totally cool with allowing an extra man on the other squad. 12v12 instead of 11v11. Even numbers are better anyways. Of course we'd have to work out some extra rules but we can make it work. Officiating owes us one after the Sugar Bowl anyways.
Did you run this by Sam Rogers yet?
I say they wait a while with this. Facyson keeps his roster spot until Exum works out his kinks and takes his spot back. I like Exum, but when you're contending I feel you go with the better hand, and obviously it's the guy leading the nations in INT's. If Exum comes out, plays solid football and earns his spot back, by all means, then look at options.
I vote we put 12 men on the field. Given how skilled the ACC refs are at penalty enforcement, we might just get away with it.
There are three debates here:
1. Should Exum replace Facyson? Of course he should, he is a spectacular CB. It has been made clear he won't be playing full minutes right off the bat, but ramping up.
2. What should Facyson do with the extra 40 snaps (to start with, 70 snaps in a few weeks)? Well, I would prefer he's on the field. He's just a better athlete, physically and mentally compared to what we are throwing out there at receiver. Why have him sitting on the bench when he could be on the field helping us succeed?
3. Why Facyson and not Kendall? They are different skill sets, speed vs size. Both have great ball skills. Exums skillset overlaps with Facysons, not Kendall's.
I love this dea and think it will show significant returns.
Yep. There are a lot of nuances to this, but no matter what everyone's take is this is a wonderful place for the team to be at. We are arguing about how to get every great player on the field.
I think it's a great idea if he can make the same or larger impact in games. I've got no problem having him catch more balls on offense..he would be on the field more since most drives go three and out for the defense.
...this.
I think there's a lot of unnecessary worry about this.
I think that the interceptions number is very impressive but also remember Facyson getting beaten on a few double moves. Exum also has a physicality that Facyson lacks at this point in his career. Exum also "knows" the ACC competition better than Facyson would. Nit-picking for sure, but just trying to think about the other side of the coin.
Facyson is very good and has a chance to be the best DB that has ever come through here, which is saying a whole lot. Foster and Gray are already the best in the business and we should all know that they will not let us lose games by giving Exum playing time he does not deserve. Right now they seem to think he should be with the 1's, so put him out there.
Facyson as a stud WR, if only for a few packages, will get us more excited than is being contemplated by most at this time.
Don't worry about putting too much on him. There is a select group of athletes that can handle just about anything. Think about the two-sport college guys like a Russell Wilson or Charlie Ward. Facyson is this type of guy. As Frank would say, "He's a baller".
Let the guy ball, and enjoy the show.
Now I'm all for it if there is no dropoff on D. If Facyson can get a pick and a TD catch in the same game it's a win/win.
I bet playing a few reps at WR at NCAA level makes him a better CB.
I say let the decision be between the stud and his coaches and we re the rewards over the next few years.
I personally don't like this I understand he's athletic, but if he's playing good why take him out or share reps with Exum when he's not back to himself yet? In today's world nothing is given to anyone why is this any different? If someone does my job better then me when Im out on medical leave there's a chance that I could be replaced, if a player at the next level gets hurt then that's a opportunity for the next guy in line. If that was the case people like Tom Brady wouldn't have been who they're today if it wasn't for the opportunity he had when Bledsoe went down. I understand that this is college football. I know they want to bring Exum back slowly until he gets a feel for the game again, but honestly why take someone who's leading the nation in interceptions as a freshman and have him play a little bit of offense that's a possibility that he could get hurt.
I completely understand that they're doing Exum due diligence by allowing him reps at his spot to eventually take his spot back and I understand that no one wants to lose a spot due to an injury, but that's not how it is in the real world... But I trust Gray's and Foster's judgement that's why they get paid the big bucks.
His hands and his breaking speed alone are enough to make me happy enough if he can work well at WR. I imagine if the DB covering him is playing press, his acceleration would be enough to blow right by the DB giving him a few yards of being wide open for LT to hit him in stride (assuming he can do that), and then let him work around the safety.
He's also shown that he can come down with the ball and fight for it in double coverage. He is a ball hawk on Defense, and if LT can get the ball in his vicinity, I have no doubt he can be a ball hawk on Offense as well.
I, for one, trust the coaches to make the right decisions. They've seemed to do it so far, as heart attack inducing as it's been in some games, but we're also 4-1. Having a weapon like Facyson on the field...could be the spark that lights the fire of the offense, too.
Excited to hear the broadcaster after his first TD catch....
"....caught by Brandon Facsyson in the endzone!! He is a true freshman leading the nation in interceptions and just caught his first TD pass! what a special kid"
Lots of dynamics at work in this situation -
1. Giving a starting CB job back to Exum, a guy who's returning from knee surgery/rehab, who actually injured the knee playing basketball (??)
2. Reducing the on-field CB time of Facyson, one of the demonstrably top DBs in the country and giving that time to Exum and possibly Kendall Fuller (who will also be playing Nickel when needed)
3. Moving Facyson to WR (on possibly a part-time basis??) in hopes he will help improve our passing offensive production.
I worry about the current defensive chemistry with Exum being moved back into a starting role at CB, while reducing Facyson's time at the same position. I guess it all depends on how well Exum performs on the field in certain situations. I trust the coaches to make the right decisions in this case.
I have some mixed feelings about this as well, but we've all seen the closing speed Facyson brings on D; I think the coaches are looking at this and thinking that this gives us a true threat to stretch the field. Sammy Watkins level speed. He could be very special on D and on O.
Why not? UVA converted a DB to quaterback a few years ago and almost beat us in Blacksburg. Remember that interception in the red zone (it may have even been in the endzone) to save the game. Fantastic.
He's got wheels to burn and tracks the ball well. Let's see what he can do on those fly routes.
I heard they also converted a cop to a head coach... some bold moves up there in hooville
FWIW, here's what face-on said about playing wide receiver in January:
Good memory! Thanks for digging that up!
I didn't remember this at all, but I'm happy to hear it.
As long as it wasn't pasted from a pay site.
I think this will all get worked out in practice. I don't think Foster and Gray will play Exum if he's sucking just for the sake of playing him because he's a senior. There is enough film on him that even if he didn't play a down of football this year he could potentially get drafted in the 4th-7th round. It's going to take some time for him to get back in "game shape" and get his timing and angle measuring down. Also, he has to build trust in himself and his knee too.
Brilliant!