Illinois Hokie's Recent Comments

I was with you right up until the last line. I had zero expectation from Lefty last season, because I've always said he was playing with house money his first two years.

I have a host of reasons why I think the offense did what it did last season, but I'm not gonna articulate them, because it's gonna sound like excuses. Instead I'll just say, I consider myself a reasonable fan and I didn't expect improvement. I was fine with whatever, because last year was the second transition year. I don't think any valid conclusions can be drawn from either 2013 or 2014, good or bad.

Now, however, I expect considerable improvement. The grace period is over and this is Lefty's reckoning. But I'm entering 2015 neutral, neither optimistic nor pessimistic. I'm just gonna take the results on the field and interpret them to judge Scot Loeffler as an OC. The trial starts Labor Day.

Oh. My. God.

I get this. Believe me, as the guy who ran a blog calling for Stinespring's termination, I get it. And in 2012, I would have echoed this sentiment loud and clear. Because basically since 2002, that really was all we got regarding the offense: perpetual excuses and justifications to cover up for incompetent coaching on one side of the ball. We had the wrong people in place and we kept them there way too long, and it almost killed VT football.

But this is not that team, or that staff. We dismissed the coaches that needed to be dismissed and brought in new blood and fresh insight.

It's one thing to clamor for change. It's another to expect immediate, dramatic improvement as soon as that change is made.

Rebuilding is a thing. If we had not seen an influx of talent in the last two years, or no tangible improvement in the OL, and if this spring had looked exactly like last spring, then maybe I could see thinking we're at a point where it's safe to render verdict on Loeffler. But by any objective standard, the building blocks and fundamentals of the program have improved since the Loeffler hire. It's a seductive cynicism to call the growing pains of a rebuilding process simply more of the same, but it's also not intellectually honest.

If Loeffler's offense still sputters with the pieces in place (and they are now) then I'll have no problem firing up WordPress and doubling down with firescotloeffler.blogspot.com, but a guy has to have a chance to get his legs under him.

So you've already cast your ballot that we're bad? That's fine, but I honestly think you're failing to appreciate the scope of the rebuilding project we've had on offense. Could anyone have had more success given the situation Scot walked into? Given the state of our offensive roster, particularly QB, and the absolute disaster Newsome left us with at OL, I don't think so.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying you're premature. To me, this is the season to judge Loeffler. He's got his players, a returning QB, and a known commodity at OL that, while not particularly deep, should be familiar enough to him to be able to work around the inevitable injuries the season brings.

So let's pick this conversation up after the season. If we tank, I'll be ready to call for Loeffler's job. But to me, this will be the first season that will provide enough data to make an educated judgment about Loeffler's value as our OC.

Not to mention that he was trying to play a pro-style offense with Gus Malzahn's roster hand picked for his spread offense. Couple that with Gene Chizzik's general incompetence and reactive decision making due to the pressure he was under, and you have the makings of a complete clusterfuck. But that doesn't play into the narrative that it was Loeffler's fault.

Weird. I remember a late drive when the game was tied at 21 when Brewer led the offense down the field for the winning score.

Hold up...

Are you honestly saying that the reason that the Lions went ohfer in '08 was because of their first year QB coach? Who was coaching a nine year veteran of the League and who, judging by the fact that he was playing for his fourth team in four years, was obviously in the waning years of his peak?

So the head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, strength and conditioning directors and entire roster of paid professional athletes get a pass, and it's Lefty's fault?

I mean, I know you aren't a member of the Scot Loeffler Fan Club (we meet on Tuesdays) but don't you think saying he "led Daunte Culpepper" to a winless season is overstating it a bit?

Considering how deep we are at DT and how many issues the second string OL have had, Team Pylon might be in for a long day.

It's ones vs ones in the spring game this year.

the first-team offense and second-team defense will be "Team Medal of Honor."

So Team Medal of Honor will be playing with only one defensive end, then?

How can you have already formed a critical opinion of two QBs who have yet to take a live snap in a game? What criteria are you using to judge Ford and Durkin?

Ten points to Slytherin.