Recent Comments
Man I didn't even think about, or see at first for that matter, the LB throwing off Cline. Thanks for the response and pointing that out, French. As always I'm just sitting here envying your football wisdom.
In Virginia Tech's situation, you create fundamental identities and you build to it. No matter what the talent level, you build a brand of football. Then, once in a lifetime, you get that once in a lifetime combination of talent, chemistry, and luck that allows for a shot at a National Championship. In the not so distant past, if a team won a conference title or won a Sugar Bowl, those players became LEGENDS. Now, you lose one game and there are empty seats at stadiums which have always been packed. I just don't understand the mentality that comes with it.
We knew this team was a work in progress. Next year, the system will get more solid, but with a new QB and essentially a new defensive front seven and a much tougher out of conference schedule, the results will likely be similar. 2015 is the year. If there isn't a complete return to dominance in 2015-2016, then you can judge the new hires as poor.
Right now, I have incomplete as the grade for Loeffler and Moorehead. Loeffler appears to be strong as a teacher and someone who can design effective plays. I am not sold yet on his feel for playcalling. With Moorehead, I see some improvement in the receivers, but a little sideline yelling isn't enough. Let's see how he does with the new receivers next year.
As for Grimes, he is an excellent hire. The offensive line is so much better fundamentally. They didn't have their best day Saturday, but that comes with experience. McLaughlin is a first year guy. Farris is a first year starter at guard after playing center. Wang is a first time center. Miller is a first time guard. Gibson and Benedict are in their first years as starters at tackle. At their current positions, all five starters are first year starters at their positions. That is unprecedented. When asked to block schemes like Alabama and Miami with great athletes playing base gap assignments, they have won those battles. They have struggled in stretches where fronts have been variable, feature odd blitzes, and utilize movement. That is to be expected with a young group. I think Grimes has done wonders, and the kids have worked their tails off to learn and get better.
Now, if Grimes is the one who has designed the running game, then I need to reserve some judgement. It has not been the system I expected (although the last two games have featured more of the types of plays I expect them to run in the future) but any system will work if sound fundamentally and executed properly. I don't want changes mid-stream to whatever is the new fad hot thing.
Sam Rogers scares 400 pound running backs, and me.
No disrespect intended; I got to "they were clearly the better team" and could go no further. Zen and the art of explaining the unexplainable, must be the title of a book.
The play you are looking for is this one.
00:13:49–00:13:55
The Hokies run play action off a jet sweep inverted veer fake (odd given that they did not run jet sweep IV once the whole game.) Cline has an outside linebacker standing up over him. At the snap, the linebacker freezes Cline and the defensive back uses his hesitation to blow past him.
While his pass blocking fundamentals wouldn't exactly make Jonathan Ogden jealous, I am not sure I can kill Cline here. Maryland had a perfect defense called. Gibson has to block the inside gap to cover the space emptied by Miller pulling (which shows the IV run action.) Cline is left on an island and has to account for the player closest to the QB, so he has to make sure that linebacker isn't coming before he shifts outside on the DB. If he goes straight to the DB, that linebacker has a much shorter path to Logan Thomas. Cline's footwork isn't ideal, but I have seen blockers with much better pedigrees fail to get to that blitzer. When you add that this is play action and a slow developing play down field. You hope that either Logan can recognize the blitz and audible to something else, or can get rid of the ball without taking a sack.
Kalvin Cline has been an awesome contributor and clutch performer this year but:
This one right here (13:49 if I embed this incorrectly) drove me nuts from the stands on Saturday. For context, the play set up a 2nd & 18 and the drive resulted in a 3-and-out.
00:13:49–00:13:55
That's exciting to know about the inside game. For the first time in years, we have some defenders in the post with five guys 6'8" or more and they like to block shots. That means we have at least 25 fouls to give in order to protect the basket.
What happened to your comment? With the Hoos boo-hooing?
"Of that list, it is VERY easy to make the argument that Virginia Tech is the most unlikely team with the fewest resources and the least access to elite talent to ever make a national championship game."
Damn right. We also don't have massively wealthy boosters cheating like hell by funneling cars, cash, jobs, and other "perqs" under the table to recruits, parents, high school coaches, and other "handlers". To compete with those teams we have to fundamentally change who we are and what we represent - some people may want to do that, but not me.
This thread is incorrectly labeled. We at tkp can think of way more than the few they have listed
Thanks Obama!
Hmmmmm.... Yep I like it.
You'd just be keeping up foreign relations. You know, communicating.
I need to add a pic of goose here
Link on Anthony Scott.
Apparently we have offered Anthony Scott, also a class of '14 RB.
So we're definitely trying to add RBs.
https://twitter.com/hatfieldsports/status/402906186355208193
This was an amazing thread thank you all! Amazing how many people (myself included have joined since last winter/spring) way to regulate the haters...some of the best gifs I've ever seen here too....the peace out peel out was phenomenal
I guess when I think about it, Pitt already has 3 RBs committed in the class of '14 so maybe it doesn't matter to him.
But it definitely matters in terms of how many spots we have left in this class. No way we take 2 more RBs with the defensive prospects left on the board.
Oh, and Shai just took his Official to Blacksburg this past weekend so don't think we're out of it yet for Shai.
Saw that Taylor played WR too so he could play there too I guess.
I'm sure the coaches did it to ensure we can bring back T-Mobile slogans, screen names, and anything else associated with our beloved TT5.
;)
#servepainwithgravy&58
Thanks! I knew he visited FSU at the beginning of the month, and then us last weekend. I hope we have a legit shot at him - seems like his running style is exactly what we need.
Also, says that he played WR before making the jump to QB.
Thank you French for donating your time to educating the masses and thank you for the "lack of anger" comment. At most schools, firing coaches at will would torpedo the program. The staff knows the fan base badly wants them to win. Let's try to enjoy ourselves.
Thank you for the question, but I'm not in a position to speculate on it. There's very little film to analyze.
I'm reminded of a Tim Wilson Song: