Recent Comments
I just don't see the NE putting out as many solid recruits as some of the places out in the midwest
He still has to sign off on these things.
"Hey Frank, here's basically the defense that I want to run. For it to work we're going to need really good defensive backs."
"I played defensive back. I approve of this scheme."
"Hey Frank, here's basically the offense that I want to run. For it to work we're going to need to completely recruit a new team."
"Fair nuff. And in the interim?"
"We're gonna do some weird stuff to try and make use of what we've got. I know it's going to be weird, but I need you to trust me."
"Sounds allright. I understand you didn't get to run what you wanted at Auburn, so I'll give you some level of autonomy here."
Especially when Bud Foster has your nuts in a little box.
if he is our starting QB next season, I will lose all faith in our offensive direction.
Let's not forget that it is possible that Leal improves a lot during the offseason. While everyone says "backups should practice like starters", the truth is that there is a big difference between being the face of a program and being the guy who signals in the plays.
Now that Logan is out of the picture, how will Leal respond? If it's "business as usual" for him, I expect he'll get passed over. If he really motivates and puts in the work and improves, he could win the position and allow Durkin and Ford to redshirt.
HUMP DAY IS HERE!
Read that as, "blows it like a pancake". Awesome
tsk, tsk... Wrong again. Bender would say exactly what he believed and not try to avoid every question posed to him. He speaks his mind, always. He only says "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass" when someone makes a comment/insult at his expense.
I never said I was better than anyone. But just as I am confident that Marcus is in fact the worst Hokie ever, I am even more confident I would win any character comparison against him.
Despite your lack of argument, lack of facts, lack of knowledge on the subject, insistence to infer larger generalities from specific comments and ineptitude to answer even a single question regarding Marcus, I have never insulted you or made a comment at your expense. If you bothered to look at your own icon and actually understood it you would know that.
I have to agree with this:
Time will tell but I just don't agree with some of the members of this site that say Beamer is nearly untouchable. If you put him on that pedestal you open yourself up to a situation such as the Penn State situation.
Everyone should always have some fear for their job. Take away accountability, and you it would take damn nearly a saint to avoid complacency, or worse, permit corruption within your workplace.
I think Beamer's overwhelming sense of loyalty puts him at particular risk. Do I think he'd look the other way if something as terrible as Penn State happened here? Not in a million years, no.
But do I think he might believe he can rehabilitate someone who commits lesser offenses? Absolutely, yes, and his history demonstrates it.
The danger to the program there is, what is the cutoff for him to determine: Is this someone I can rehabilitate with a second (or third, or fourth) chance? Or is this someone who needs to be cut loose?
If he is wrong and the player who was allowed to remain does something far worse, the blow to the program could be devastating.
Ultimately I don't think I want a head coach making those decisions on his own. And I'm not saying Beamer does, because for all I know, with every problem athlete he's had he may have been working with the University president & or other university policing groups all along.
So, long-story short (I know... way too late), I agree that we should be wary of putting anyone on a pedestal, no matter their history. Plenty of time for pedestals after they have retired.
At this point though, I don't think the last couple of years are any reason to call for Beamer's job. He made seismic changes in the coaching staff, and I am very pleased with what I saw this year, despite many hair-rending moments.
1. Punctuation is your friend, please use it.
2. We're not saying that Beamer is untouchable. We're saying that he's got the program going in the right direction (as you so astutely pointed out, we won 7 games last year and 8 this year, even with a brand new offensive staff and limited talent/experience just about everywhere not on the defensive front seven. Recruiting has picked up in a big way and we've seen drastic improvements in the scheme and techniques on the offensive side of the ball.
As for offenses, saying one scheme is superior because the two teams in the NCG THIS YEAR use the spread is ridiculous. The past few years, we've seen that the scheme run is largely irrelevant so long as the talent is there to fit the scheme and execute it and the coaches can maximize their players' strengths while minimizing weaknesses.
It's also worth mentioning that, except for the air raid, just about every offensive scheme is based on running the football. The only difference is how that is accomplished, with some teams (Clemson, Auburn) spreading the field and others (Stanford, Bama, FSU) keeping things tight.
Just so you know, iwvb, I'm just having fun here. No offense intended. Turkey leg for being a passionate fan.
But if you take techhokie13's advice and look around the forum, you are at the tail-end of a long string of similar posts, and I've decided to laugh instead of rip my hair out over this season.
I think if you look at the season objectively, take into account what HOAT said, with all the injuries, new coaches, new systems... you'll come away impressed that we did as well as we did this year, and maybe just find some hope for the next couple years.
Again, no offense. Just having fun today.
I don't know anything about off field issues with Vick if there were any
Ehh..... hey look, what's that over there?
Since getting to VT i've been following real closely since and have gone back and watched all of the old games available on Youtube. Mike Vick was just a highlight reel and I wish I could of been here when he took us to the NC. I don't know anything about off field issues with Vick if there were any haha
Fantastic, well thought out post, HOAT. Turkey leg for a calm and well-reasoned response.
All I can think to add is this:
this is nonsense.
There was also Clemson who won as an offensive first team, and Oklahoma which is traditionally offensive. Then there are teams that made it and didn't win. It was said earlier that the winners of the past national championships have mostly been pro power running style teams. But I wonder if there is going to start being a change in trend toward more offensive spread teams like Auburn starting to go somewhere.
We may have had 8 wins this year but we had 7 last year and had to beat LOLUVA (duh) to make a bowl (and almost lost that game if not for the timecop). The bowl game was brutally ugly and if Rutgers offense was even partially competent we might have lost that game and been 6-7. This team/program would appear to be headed in the right direction but what if for the next 4 years go 8-5, or 7-6 or gasp sub .500. I think the changes have been made and there should be improvements going forward but to me the question is what is the goal? To just beat UVA, just win a bowl game, just win the ACC, just win a BCS bowl game or win the National Championship? I believe most of us would agree that the last one is the goal/dream for Virginia Tech. As everyone gets older they start to lose their edge that's just how life is. I think Beamer is fighting against that tide and won a major battle against the clock with the hires he made last year. Time will tell but I think we all expect to at least be in contention for something major in the next 3-4 years (closer to 3 would be nice).
Time will tell but I just don't agree with some of the members of this site that say Beamer is nearly untouchable. If you put him on that pedestal you open yourself up to a situation such as the Penn State situation. Not that anything like that is going on but we all need to remember that football is just part of the greater VPI&SU and that everyone is held accountable to try and be the best at what they do.
@ rockidr and fernleyhokie - let's be fair, what linebacker HASN'T bounced off of Logan Thomas? (in a fair, within-the-rules manner of playing, of course)
Isn't that all of the running game?
To your questions:
It has been a lack of due to a number of facets related to coaching issues. We didn't have much of an offensive staff for a long time (read: Beamer is loyal to guys, which is overall a good thing but occasionally produces duds), and, as a result, we couldn't recruit effectively and couldn't develop the players we ended up bringing in. So it was a little of both, but the core came from coaching. We have a new offensive staff, so give it some time. A few years is required to get the new recruiting philosophy started and show results. The freshmen coming in will see the results during their VT tenures.
We are not descending into irrelevance. We've had a few years that were sub-par by VT standards, due to the answer above.
The team does not need a complete coaching overhaul. The defensive staff is fine, and we should all hope it remains intact for as long as possible. The offensive staff is new and needs another year or two to produce the results we'd like to see, which I believe is in progress. The special teams talent utilization/coaching may need more attention. I'll wait until after next year to determine whether this area needs an overhaul or not.
Sorry for the snark, but if you've been watching football for 4 years, how are you sure you want Vick back?
And let's not forget we already DID have a coaching overhaul.
Why? Because a senior who has been in the program for 4+ years is more effective than a kid who has been in the offense one semester maximum? That makes zero sense.