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Priority of use of funding is where I think he was going with this. Tech's leadership doesn't choose to spend the money to have the right to use the songs and VCU does. VCU doesn't have a full marching band does it? If that's the case than they don't have the dilemma of several hundred students worth of equipment to update and maintain that Tech has to spend their money on
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12 years 4 months
# | Bitter blog - Q&A: Bud Foster talks about a trip to Ole Miss, a disappointing Sun Bowl and QB scrambles The problem isn't that I don't agree that mobile QBs weren't a major problem. It's your assertion that because we had a problem with that we had dozens of plays that we would want back instead of a handful. Just because a play got someone a first down doesn't mean that it's a play you want back, hell not even a scoring play. The plays you want back are the ones that cause you massive problems or to lose.
Example a huge scramble by a QB for a 30 yard touchdown when you're up might not be a play you want back in retrospect since you're still ahead. However a 1 yard 4th down screen pass up by 3 that swings momentum would be.
Thinking back and turning off the heart attack inducing game watching I agree more with Foster. Taking back plays is more with what the play caused than with it's direct outcome at that very second to me and with that it probably does come down to a handful of plays.
Apparently somebody doesn't enjoy Family Guy references.
Certainly, this is an area where I definitely can lend some insight...
What it comes down to, and what we in HoF always focused on, was visibility.
We worked with Athletics and Coach Greenberg to establish Chalk Talks before weekend home games. For those of you unfamiliar with Chalk Talks, Greenberg would join students at D2 dining hall and review his game plan for the upcoming game. He would chat with students while they ate lunch for about an hour - taking questions, drawing up schemes, describing match ups. Nothing compromising to his plan, but certainly packed with information. He was engaging and excited, more than we could have asked for.
Students who made it to all 8-10 Chalk Talks over the course of the season earned some sort of price and Greenberg often brought some giveaways. He had a pair of tickets to the Duke game for the upset in 2011. Often the kids who were the biggest supporters of the Chalk Talks didn't hold season tickets. They were subjected to the same lottery that the less passionate and dedicated kids entered. Alas, life isn't fair, but Greenberg wanted to generate a passionate fan base and spent the time to help us generate visibility. He was a character you couldn't miss.
No knock on JJ but he doesn't have that same presence on campus. Heck, seeing Greenberg get rowdy during a game was part of the fun. A couple of students dressed as Greenberg, bald cap and all, for the big games.
He was visible and he made an effort to connect with fans, especially students.
I'm not sure what the atmosphere around campus is these days with JJ at the helm. I'm sure it's different, but I doubt Athletics has stepped up their game to make up for the big persona Greenberg had. There was always a sort of hesitation about doing things all out with regards to basketball. They need to spend more time and effort with connecting to students, not the donors/season ticket holders. I think they assume because students turn out for football, they'll turn out for basketball.
That's just not the case with this schedule. Juggling 30+ games in a season, many of which are mid-week, match-ups are lost on some. It's hard to track for the average student. It's not a "every Saturday except for one Thursday night game," schedule. Students have a ton going on, and unless they are made aware of the upcoming games consistently, they won't keep track except for the big games that get more buzz. An email notifying them the lottery for games XYZ is not enough.
We held a viewing party for the opening away game against K-State in Squires Student center but received only a late push of publication from Athletics. They control the media (web, FB, Twitter) tightly, which is fine, because they do have a brand/name/reputation to uphold, but it was too painful to get our message pushed out via their avenues. Same gripes when it came to a pre-game tailgate we hosted before an ACC matchup.
It came down to HoF standing in front of their classes, repeatedly blowing up Facebook and passing out info on the Drillfield to get the word out for events. Maybe I'm wearing a rose tinted glasses when it comes to this but we had moments where Cassell was great. It's all about effort. If Athletics is unwilling to step up, it needs to be the students. All it takes is a dedicated individual or two to make a bigger change than you'd think.
🌏MAN OF MYSTERY🕵
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12 years 4 months
# | Bitter blog - Q&A: Bud Foster talks about a trip to Ole Miss, a disappointing Sun Bowl and QB scrambles Look, I'm happy that there is difference of opinion here.
But I don't think Andy would be asking the question if there wasn't that question about last years defense.
Yes, there are a lot of reasons/excuses as to why QBs were able to scramble . Yes, Bud had a game plan. No, not every play was a 20 yard play. But if a QB is able to scramble for 4 yards on 3rd down to move the chains and continually does that then that is still us not stopping the QB. That's not a specific example, just general.
I am OK with being on the minority on this thread but during the season their was commentary on this site all year about the Hokies inability to contain mobile QBs. French makes note in the UCLA game preview:
While the Hokies struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season,
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2013/december/26/previewing-ucla-quart...
he goes on to say the Bud also "bedeviled" other mobile QBs like Russell Wilson and EJ Manuel, but both not last season.
French again mentions the "struggle" in the Vinny Mihota First Look when talking about him needing more practice learning contain:
especially given how Virginia Tech struggled against mobile quarterbacks last season.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/january/29/class-2014-first-look-...
If I were to go through game threads I am sure I would find comments from many people on specific plays as well.
Again, I am all like you. I know that Bud is a genius. At the same time, I also know that VT struggled mightily to stop mobile QBs last season. This is why Andy asked the question, this is why French mentions it in his reviews. Every season there is some aspect that needs to be improved. This is a big one that Hokies must improve for this season.
And when I look back I would take more than 5 QB scrambles because taking away just 5 would not have changed the fact that VT struggled against mobile QBs.
And Jonathan Martin.
Much of that has to do with the fact that it gets rather expensive to procure the rights to play the songs.
Excuse my french(60wasp) but that's complete and utter bullshit. I don't want to get into a dick measuring contest with VCU but I find it hard to believe that VCU has the resources to "procure rights" for modern songs year in and year out for their basketball team but Virginia Tech doesn't. Unless it costs significantly more to get rights to play songs during football games vs. basketball games, that argument doesn't hold water.
The one behind West End is always open, that's usually where I park for games. I do agree there needs to be a better plan for students to park though.
49ers picked up Gabbert today.
Met a Hokie in a jewelry shop in Juneau, Alaska two summers ago. We did the Old Hokie cheer together in the middle of the store. Studied in London last summer and met an elderly Hokie couple right outside the Holborn tube station. Hokies really are all over the world.
An easy way to increase student attendance would be to fix the parking for basketball. Right now for games the Cassell/McComas lot is closed, so is the one behind West End, and the one next to the Cage. Not only is this a pain if you're coming from off-campus for dinner, but to go to a game you have to park in the Cage. Trying to get my friends to go to a game so we can park in the Cage and walk the quarter-to-half mile in a Blacksburg winter just to see a basketball game for a bad VT team playing some other boring team with no alcohol incentive is impossible. And these lots are EMPTY. The one across the street from the Cage DIDN'T HAVE A SINGLE CAR but we couldn't park there. The majority of students live off campus, if you want students to come to games, you have to make it easy for them and it's much too difficult at the moment.
🎸OG LEG KING 🎸
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12 years 4 months
# | Bitter blog - Q&A: Bud Foster talks about a trip to Ole Miss, a disappointing Sun Bowl and QB scrambles Looking at the record breakdown, I'm glad to see I wasn't just spitting out nonsense. Of course, we can't blame any loss on the loss of a Fuller (as painful as such a loss is), but I definitely agree with you - his impact within our defensive scheme can't be understated. He was a key piece and an incredibly skilled player for us.
BEER
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12 years 4 months
# | Bitter blog - Q&A: Bud Foster talks about a trip to Ole Miss, a disappointing Sun Bowl and QB scrambles Like the illegal hit on Thomas on the bowl game.
Without that play, we stay in the game.
I was thinking about this the other day that VT's non-conference schedule isn't great (one of the reasons for bad attendance) but also that the school doesn't make a huge effort to connect with alumni base in NOVA. Visibility is huge for alumni involvement and in order to get new students (look what happened at FGCU) a alternating home and home with GMU and Georgetown would give DC area Hokie fans a chance to see their team play every year. You could do the same thing in Richmond. If Tech played at the Patriot or Verizon Center over winter break I would be there in a heartbeat.
In other news, now that the Panthers secondary is almost completely depleted and we are about to get Hakeem Nicks I say their is a decent chance Kyle Fuller gets drafted by us in the first round, or at least I hope.
Yes, I was poking fun at the HT's as I know there are a couple on here. I just hate having to set up that drum stand, but they do occasionally mess with the opposing girls heads with some of the stuff they do during free throws.
🥩 🍳 🥓
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12 years 4 months
# | Bitter blog - Bud Foster Q&A, Part II: '14 defense's challenge will be replacing experience All Sam Rogers observations would be moot.
Woops, the 5.5 must be for Joey I mixed up, thought that sounded low
If the HT's are still the women's b-ball pep band like it was when I was in, it's the same battles as well, especially for more current music (not everyone recognizes funk!) and with smaller #'s to get volunteers from.
The bands definitely try to keep things as pumped up as they can, but there's only so much that's in our power. It never made sense to me as to why the pep band is not smack in the middle of the student section anyway.
There's not much positive I will ever say about UNCheat but they got their seating chart RIGHT!
Only 7 schools currently have a wrestling program and it goes back down to 6 with Maryland leaving. With them gone and a roster that is going to be scary good next year, we have a shot at a three peat. Biggest threats are Pitt and UVA.
This is so true. We travel to the football games in a 40 ft motor coach. Gas $200, tickets $200 (4), tailgate food $200 you see a pattern here. And this doesn't even include the yearly donation. Factor in a ACCCG and a bowl game and you can easily get to $6K a season. It sure seems like the economy has not reduced the ticket prices.
As I said above, We have had Mason season tickets for 28 years and Va. Tech came in one to play. Vt had there usual late let down and mason won. I was told by the prior ticket manager, that Va. Tech has refused to come into to the Patriot Center.
I find it a real shame with so many alumni that we can not work this game out.
Last time I had a conversation like this, it was with a friend of mine. Went something like this:
Him: Just got the new iPhone5
Me: I thought you already had an iPhone.
Him: Yeah, but this is the new one.
Me: Are you still buying into Apply products?
Him: It's such an awesomen phone.
Me: But why did you get a new one? Why didn't you go with Galaxy S4?
Him: I already know how to use this one.
Me: So it's pretty much like the last one?
Him: It's exactly like the last one
Me: SO WHY DID YOU BUY A NEW ONE
...
It went on like that for a while.
I think one of the easiest and best ways to fix this would be a revamp of Blacksburg Transit routes. I lived in Tech Terrace for two years before they got knocked down for the new development that is going in there. For those of you who may not know what I mean right behind the old gumby's. Either way there was no way for me to get from that corner of campus to the West End/McComas/Student Services/Engel hall side of campus using BT. If i wanted to go to the gym or the dining hall I had to walk all the way there. While walking is good for you, in the Blacksburg winters I preferred not to go. Even if there was a bus that essentially just circled around campus Washington->Kent St-> Perry St -> West Campus Dr would have been good.