Illinois Hokie's Recent Comments

Really good points by both you guys. I guess what we're hitting now is the divide between "medically cleared" and "mentally ready to play."

By favoring the reconstructed knee, might Shai be at greater risk for another injury? Man, like you said, I just don't have the data to do anything more than just speculate. I can totally see it being possible. And yet, I can also see a situation where those bad habits are more deeply ingrained in him by staying off the field for a year. Maybe the only way to get his confidence back is through live carries.

So. Much. Speculation.

I'll amend my original comment. If Shai is ready to come back (both medically cleared and mentally prepared to return to the field) then a redshirt does nothing. If he's medically cleared but hesitant, then I just have to trust Shane to make the right call for Shai's specific situation.

Well, here's the way I see it. If he is medically cleared, redshirting him gains nothing. It's not going to make it less likely that he suffers a third tear in a year's time. That's not how ACLs work.

I agree with you he shouldn't be rushed back. But if he's medically cleared, he isn't being rushed. If it's healed, it's healed. And in that situation, a redshirt is pointless from a medical standpoint. If that ACL is gonna go again, it's gonna go this year or next year, redshirt or no.

I think a lot of people see the redshirt as a way to save difficult choices having to be made in the distribution of carries in the backfield, and rationalize it by saying it's in Shai's best interests medically. But it isn't. Not if he is medically cleared to play. Yes it would solve some issues in a crowded backfield, but it wouldn't make it any less likely that Shai tears his ACL again when he finally returns to the field.

What we have isn't actually luxury boxes. Unless I'm mistaken (never been in there) it's one large enclosed seating area with no privacy or divisions. Basically a few rows of seating in climate control. Wasn't well thought out to begin with.

I had kind of forgotten about Kyle Chung. That gives me hope that there might be a serviceable backup center option, and that is pretty huge.

But then I'd have to say, it sounds like you are the one confusing terms. Making terroristic threats is a legally distinct crime from performing a terrorist act. There is no broadening of scope happening; it's two different crimes. Making terroristic threats carries significantly lower sentencing than actually carrying out an act of terrorism. A good analogy is how it's illegal to threaten a political assassination, but the penalty for doing so is way lighter than actually performing a political assassination.

(Also, I didn't DV you. Shouldn't DV for expressing opinions IMO.)

Yeah, absolutely no concern here specifically about Chuck playing nickel. I know he can do it well. Just wondering about the flipping back and forth could cause problems.

But hell, for all I know, the way Foster and Gray have our nickel package set up, the nickel back could have the traditional responsibilities of the free saftey and it's actually easier this way.

This might be an asinine question, and I don't have ten grand on me, but could you see some issues with Clark changing position when we go nickel, rather than having him always play free and bringing in someone else as nickel back? Potential for mental mistakes/miscommunication? Or do we have a history of just such a shuffling of positions when we go nickel?

I hate the fucking off season.

The fact that he had two different TD runs of 50+ yards in a yellow jersey is ridiculous. Also, I don't think he threw a pick all spring, did he?

based on our track record of developing QBs, I'm going to take the talent over the experience

We've had our current QB coach for two seasons, and this will be the first year with a returning starter at the position assuming Brewer wins the job. So it's kind of hard for me to take any mention of our track record developing QBs seriously. If O'Cain was still here, you'd have a valid point. With Lefty, not so much.

You beat me to it. Having Tyrod would have been nice in '11, but it would have only delayed the realization of how dire the QB situation was for another year. The net effect would probably have been negative, because we would have most likely not brought in Ford and Durkin in their recruiting cycle and might not have landed Brewer's transfer. Our QB situation now might look a lot like it did then. Overall I think we're in a better place than we would have been with a redshirt senior Tyrod in '11.

But won't be when he arrives on campus.