Recent Comments
The Gobi is a strong sleeper pick.
I'm an Oh Sevener - Just shy of 3 weeks on here as well!
I think Cline gives them a better down the field threat than Malleck. Malleck is a better blocker and Loeffler was planning to highlight him on stick routes. In the spring and fall scrimmages, Malleck was targeted numerous times on those routes (and several drops were highlighted by the beat writers.) We have not seen Cline targeted on those routes.
Woo woo! (yes)
How would Loeffler and Co. prove a sense of urgency to you? I think thats the question.
Let me guess... start Leal, right?
there were too many 'deserts' to correct so I was letting it slide...thanks for this!
leg
6) Deserts -
Gobi, Death Valley, or Sahara?
Also, in joe's spirit above, I want to get this down on paper as well:
TreyEdumundsForLB, BuckyForTE, FordForQB2014, Mangus>Edmunds>Coleman, DadiForOLB, ClarkForRover
a lot of people who are starting to give up on Loeffler are saying that Chad Morris and Gus Malzhan(sp?) were able to get much better results much more quickly. I've been saying that if Chad Morris or Gus came in to the mess that has been left behind they would also be struggling to get favorable results (and I know virtually nothing about football so I'm probably way off base...that doesn't stop me from saying stupid stuff though).
Does that argument have any merit?
Click on the link about Kendall and try not to laugh at the picture. Also, someone please try to justify that call on Dadi (block in the back).
You'll get to see Miami get pasted by FSU this weekend anyways.
Agreed. We'll Christian Hackenberg the hell outta this thing and see where it takes us.
Though, at the same time, there were a couple instances where he panicked because seemingly he felt he'd been in the pocket too long and tucked it when he still had loads of time, sometimes running into pressure that wouldn't have reached him.
It's easy to say that since Leal didn't get a shot. There's really no way of knowing that.
I defer to the coaches. The reality is they watch practice, they're more invested, and they want to win more than any of us. If they're playing Logan over Leal, they believe he gives them the best chance to win.
Consider two additional things:
A. This is college football. There are caps on practice times. Tech is 3/4 through the season in which Logan has been getting No. 1 reps. The best chance to swap QBs is during a bye. Forgetting that the coaches gave the team time off, Logan was playing very well so the timing was never there. Moving forward with Leal would have been a decision best made by Loeffler in spring.
B. Outside of Thomas, who is the rushing threat? Look at the No. 1 and 2 rushers in ACC play.
GT
1. Thomas 16 carries 58 yards
2. Knowles 1 carry 2 yards
UNC
1. Edmunds 14 carries 27 yards
2. Coleman 8 carries 26 yards
Pitt
1. Thomas 16 carries 27 yards
2. Coleman 6 carries 25 yards
Duke
1. Thomas 24 carries 101 yards
2. Edmunds 12 carries 44 yards
The numbers are pedestrian, but Thomas has been the leading rusher in 3 of 4 ACC games. It's more time consuming to quantify, but the threat of Thomas keeping on the veer and inverted veer has opened up rushing opportunities for the tailbacks. I do not think Leal would have the same effect.
Not only would the timing of a switch be wrong with so much left on the table, but it would downgrade the rushing attack from poor to nonexistent.
I would love to see once, just once, how far Logan can throw it. He said last week that his arm felt 'live' again, so I was hoping to see Knowles just let loose and run straight ahead, with Logan just rolling out and flinging it for all its worth.
Agreed that losing to Duke is embarrassing on the national level. All of us Hokie fans were excited to be ranked fairly high and getting some positive national attention. However, we really hadn't earned anything yet. It was a premature in my opinion (no disrespect the defense) to have us as a top 15 team. If you were to ask a fan of a non-ACC school they wouldn't care as much as we do about us getting upset by Duke. Teams ranked in the 10-25 range lose every weekend. Luckily for us our biggest regular season game is still ahead and a dominant win against Miami on the road will reassure the fans, recruits and national media that we are a good football team. From this point on it is about learning from the clemson we just pulled and get back to work. Personally, beating Miami (a media darling. also, still not sure how they still have an athletic department after the boats and hoes situation) will do more good for the program than losing to Duke hurts us.
Good attempt, go home, try again.
Not tryin to be a jerk, but this post sums up just about everything that is wrong with fans' perspective of Hokie football. What do you expect? As has been said time and time again, Loeffler & co. are trying to fit a bunch of square pegs into round holes. There's only so much he can do. When in that situation, you control what you can control. That's focus, execution, lining up correctly, doing little things (no-talent things, as Loeffler likes to call them, which is one of the most accurate football terms ever created) correctly. Yes, Beamer is giving Loeffler a pass, as should the rest of Hokie Nation. Not just for this year, but at least through next year and into 2015. He's playing a heck of a lot of youth that he didn't recruit, and the older guys either aren't a great fit for his system, are limited talent-wise, or a combination of both. What we ARE seeing is intelligent route design in the passing game, and a systematic approach to offensive game-planning. Are there things we'd like to see differently? Maybe. But still, he's using certain plays and formations to set up other plays. That in itself is the mark of a competent OC. Whether he can produce with his own recruits in a couple years will determine whether or not he's an elite OC or merely competent.
Thanks for the input. I realize our O-line is playing well. I think they're probably well coached but I get the sense they're under-sized. I wonder if larger players would make a difference? Maybe hold their blocks longer? Perhaps make bigger holes faster that the backs can't miss?
I am guessing that center and right guard will be the big up in the air position next season. I think Farris is much more effective at left guard, so a move to center wouldn't be ideal. McLaughlin is back at left tackle. Gibson and Benedict are both back at right tackle. Teller, Smith, Shuman, and Conte return.
Teller and Smith both can add some athleticism to the offensive line, and Gibson and Farris can move to guard and center respectively.
How much has the offense lost without Malleck this season? Looked like he was going to be a big piece of the puzzle. With that being said and this year a wash and a redshirt, I am extremely excited to have him back for another two years. Thanks again French.
I too am looking forward to the next section of your review French. You have brought a whole new dimension to the way I watch and cheer our team on, and I appreciate all of the time and effort you put in, as I do of the whole TKP staff.
I know that as a fan base, we often have questions regarding our team that go unanswered because they are behind the scenes, and all we can do is speculate given the information on hand (albeit some very good speculation due to TKP). Execution obviously played a major role in Saturday's loss, but that is simple to understand. I am so interested in the next segment of French's analysis because it involves the aspect of our team that I have a really hard time wrapping my head around. I can understand poor coaching in the past, adjusting to new coaches, new coaches having to play with the hand they've been dealt, etc., but it seems at times that our offensive woes extend further than just these issues. What it boils down to is that these players are young and are going to make mistakes, so what I really want is to be able to trust the guys making the big bucks (ie the coaches) to hold up their end. Loeffler has proven in the past to be a very successful position coach, but doesn't he have limited experience actually calling plays? If it's as simple as this, adjusting to new coaches, and a depleted talent pool on the offensive side of the ball, then I can have all the patience in the world and can very much enjoy watching our team play.
I think that our new coaching staff has tremendous upside, and I trust Loeffler and believe he both deserves and needs our patience. But above all else, I trust in CFB. He is a true class act. His ability to field a team that exudes class AND personality is remarkable (it's usually one or the other), not to mention the stability he brings to the program that we have all grown accustomed to. I'll take that any day of the week over some of these other topsy turvy "elite" programs that are so obviously driven by money. And while I most certainly have questions about this team, I believe in them and the coaches to turn things around. After all, isn't that the point of being a fan?
Your last bullet point should be repeated for all time.
Also, as tweeted by someone on the internet, this past weekend, Ford had 400+ yards and 6TDs against the #1 ranked team in PA. That gets me all kinds of excited (yes, yes, high school competition, pass-heavy offense or whatever, yada, yada, yada, whatever. Still impressive).
Gibson was recruited as a left tackle, now is playing right.
Wang was recruited as a defensive tackle, now is a center
Miller was recruited to be a wrestler and then a center/guard.
Farris was a guard and has bounced around.
McLaughlin seemed destined to be a right tackle. Now is the left tackle.
Benedict was a right guard pretty much when he set foot on campus. Now a tackle.
Conte has been a guard and a tackle.
Arkema has played guard and center.
Shuman has played every position on the line except right guard and center.
Teller was a defensive tackle.
Still, despite all this, if you watch the film closely, our offensive line had a terrific game Saturday. There were no ole blocks. On occasion a Duke defender won a physical battle, but it was rare. I didn't note any missed assignments. They were excellent in pass protection.
There were only two tackles for loss and one sack the entire game. Plus, only one penalty (the chop block on Benedict.) You can't fault them.
Great write up. I can't believe that the d had so much trouble getting to Boone in the backfield. I'm speechless there. Ditto to the lack of running game from above when it seemed to be working.
Thomas said his biggest issue Saturday was that he was making progressions, but doing them too quickly
I guess that accounts for some of the checkdowns we saw with open receivers down the field.
French: Tell me why I should NOT be worried about next years LB starters/depth.