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I uhhh...did forget that. I don't think we'll sink that low, though. But I think it will take a few seasons to get back to 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 wins. Next year could be a rough year with the graduations we'll see at the end of the year. And I think it will take until McLaughlin is a junior until we build a championship-caliber offensive line.
The UNC game (on paper) is winnable, given that Cooper and Bernard are gone. Watching Bernard torch our D all day for 262 yards was painful. Cooper was an outstanding guard with no heir apparent that I know of (though I'll admit I have not looked into UNC much yet). Based on how well we hang against Alabama, and how well UNC stands up to USCe, I think we will know a lot more.
Overall winnability of these three games, in my mind, is GT > UNC > Miami. I think we take 2 out of 3, and I agree with your prediction. We usually show up pretty strong against Miami, so in my mind that game all comes down to how we've been doing up until that point and what's on the line. That game could decide the Coastal if (1) Miami is actually as good as the media thinks and (2) we have a bounce-back year and right the ship.
Yeah, no problem. Couple more notes on the game-by-game predictions article:
Basically, our season boils down to two games. At GT, and vs UNC. If we win both, barring an upset, we should be at least 10-2, 11-1 if we beat Miami. That's completely optimistic, but realistic in a way.
If we lose both to GT and UNC, then the confidence of the team will be extremely low and we could be in for another season around 7-5.
In the article, I was being optimistic about those two games, saying we win both. Of course I always love to see us beat GT, and a revenge game vs UNC (a game I'll be at) would be sweet. What do you all think about that?
Fun fact: All Linear Algebra professors are awful. Pretty sure that is a requirement for the Math Department.
Easy there Horse, let the lurkers (like me) have our say once in a while (I know, it was sarcasm!!!). BTW, have a bushel of apples for being the funniest poster on TKP, you make every thread better.
Serious LOL!
You're forgetting 12-0, where we #BEATBAMA, and ride that high through the season.
But then again, if you're considering that, then you might consider lowering the floor as well. I could see a season where we go 5-7, if half of our defense ends up hurt by October.
Kudos for the post and for braving the reaction from us. Happy to have an informed discussion with UVA fan. If there is a comparable UVA site to thekeyplay, I'd love to know about it, and not for trolling reasons.
...Okay, not JUST for trolling reasons.
Borth... +1
669TH MEMBER OF TKPC
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12 years 11 months
# | Bitter blog - DL Corey Marshall will take some time away from the team I understand the player's mentality of playing the position you think you project best in terms of the NFL. College is supposed to be a time in your life where you forge the person you want to become in the real world. To Virginia Tech football players, that means finding a position you like and can excel at both the collegiate and professional level.
At the same time, if I'm an NFL executive (disclaimer: I'm far from an NFL executive) I'm going to be put a premium on flexibility and "team mentality", especially at the defensive side of the ball. With offenses evolving and depth charts constantly changing, I'd love a guy who can play multiple roles for me. When Corey Marshall gets put into interviews with NFL execs, he can confidently say he's comfortable playing multiple positions, something he couldn't say if he's stuck at one position.
Also, I want a guy who is going to do everything he can to help his team win. If you're going to bitch and moan about moving to a different position in college, it's a red flag to me. It shows me you care more about yourself than the team. As an NFL executive, the only fucks I give are for winning so I'm less likely to draft a guy like that.
I have a soft spot for Paul Johnson's offense, because I think he is a true football genius. There have been reports that he is moving in the direction of a more shot-gun oriented triple option game (something that Nevada had some success with, although they were never as committed to the true triple options principles that PJ is). He could have a lot of success with this look, especially with the talent he has at QB (Vad Lee is the real deal and could definitely be better then Nesbitt ever was. Same goes for their freshmen back-up, he might be even more explosive).
My point is this, don't sleep on that Georgia Tech game. Bud has had success against them in the past because he too is one of the best in the business. I think the Hokies have a good shot at winning that game, but until I see what the Hokies look like on the field I won't be chalking that match-up as anything but a 50/50 dog fight.
Really like this. Thanks for sharing.
Over 1/2 your turkey legs on two posts. Well done, sir.
I think the realist version has to be close to the Vegas spread. I'd say this...
Insane Optimist: 21-20 W
Normal Optimist: 24-17 L
Realist: 28-10 L
Pessimist: 41-7 L
So my worst case scenario is about LSU 2007 and best case scenario is USC 2004 minus the bogus pass interference call.
If a guy like Dadi is fast enough, let him play linebacker. At 6'3", 224...
Interesting someone has the same thought as I did about Dadi. know it would mean Dadi would have to learn the nusiances of being a linebacker, but know what I would do? I would say to Dadi, "See the ball? Get me the ball. Just. Get. Me. The. Damn. Ball."
Just hope he don't kill somebody doing that. :)
I'm thinking anywhere between 7-5 and 10-2. 7-5 if we suffer even one more injury and have to shuffle people around and throw young guys into the fire. 10-2 if we lose to Alabama (but gain confidence), then gel as a team, rally, and suffer one more loss to a good team over the course of the year (thinking Miami, because they're going to score 45 a game, or UNC, because of course some bullshit will happen at some point).
There should be a minimum number of turkey legs required to create a forum post. Freshmen don't become starters until they earn it, this is a blue collar discussion board, dammit!
Indeed, I seem to recall our first game was against East Carolina on September 18th. Odd, seems like a late start to a season. One loss all year though, only to Stanford in the Orange Bowl.
Yes, I had one on my last birthday.
You were there for HER birthday?! Good catch, friend.
To relate this issue to the discussion in another thread (RE: developing players for VT vs. playing a guy where he thinks he has the best future), I think it comes down to acknowledging the difference between the demands of the players and the demands of the coaching staff.
Obviously, the coaches are interested in doing what the program needs year in and year out. Sometimes this means getting someone ready to play at a position where they'll help the team the most, as opposed to playing the position where they'll likely be playing at the next level (if they have the talent to get there).
The player, however, may feel their best bet to play in the league is at a position where they don't seem to fit in the program. Jason Worilds may be a good example of this. He may have never been the ideal fit as a defensive end in the league, but that was where he was the best fit for VT. When he went to the Steelers, he became an OLB (perhaps a hybrid DE, I don't really pay much attention to the Steelers). We needed him to be a DE because he was the right size for a DE for VT (bigger than all the linebackers we had). Cody Grimm was a linebacker for us, but wasn't big enough to play LB in the NFL, so he became a safety.
All in all, I'd like to see the best players we have on the field. If a guy like Dadi is fast enough, let him play linebacker. At 6'3", 224 (per Hokiesports.com), he won't be big enough to play DE in the league. If we can move him to linebacker (where we just lost RVD), then Marshall can slide into the opening at DE. Same with JR Collins (6'2", 248, closer to DE size after NFL-caliber 'supplements', but Gayle is the only guy who appears to fit into the NFL mold for a DE at 6'4", 255). I don't think I'd want to take two great DEs and ask them to move to LB, but to get all the best guys on the field, what other options are there?
We already have two starting DTs and Corey, from all accounts, has the talent to help the team if he's on the field. I wonder how much Foster's defensive scheme contributes to this, as we don't really have the hybrid DE/LB position in our defense (which, if I recall correctly, is closer to a 4-3 than a 3-4, and I'm not sure if ManBearPig or Maddy are nose tackle types).
I think I can understand Corey's frustration if he feels that the coaching staff is looking out for VT's best interests more than his personal best interests, and one could rightly say that he should be a 'team first' guy and play wherever the coaches feel he's the best fit, but at what point is he sacrificing his own future? How do you weigh being 'team first' vs. being interested in developing a skill set that you can translate to the next level? If he plays DT, who will draft him on just a projection of how he'll play at DE? If he isn't really good at DT, then he might not get a look at all.
This is a hard question to answer, and I don't envy Corey Marshall (6'1", 257, which is probably closer to NFL DT size) for being in this position. I would love to see the coaches find ways to use all our guys in a variety of positions to allow for a lot of different looks, but I can't really recall when this has been the case (outside of a CB playing whip). I just hope he comes back and wreaks havoc when he does.
I think when others say 7-5 is our basement, this is probably our season's ceiling. I see the loss to Miami being traded for a win and a loss to UNC. I don't see us going undefeated through ACC play but that is why we play the game and I think we have the potential.
The offensive line seems to be gaining a bit of cohesion and Shane said the scrimmage was only 2% of what we have. That, coupled with a young and talented defense, can put us into contention with all of the teams we play, except maybe bama. If it all comes together right, it can be a surprising season for the Hokies...but that energy and intensity is back and I love it.
Also, I don't see bama being 23-7, though I don't see them scoring more than 28.
Optimist:24-17 W
Realist: 14-24 L
Pessimist: 7-28 L
Not knowing that the person who just used it set it on fire
Thanks! They're delicious
On a side note, a google image search of 'horse apples' doesn't turn up what I thought it would, and I seriously need to learn how to make my own images.