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Leading rusher was moved to Linebacker
#2 rusher graduated
#3 rusher was backup QB
#4 rusher was starting QB, who graduated
ONLY returning RB who had stats in 2009 had 5 attempts for 17 yards in 3 games
Starting QB graduated
#2 QB stayed #2, backed up a freshman in 2010
#1 receiver graduated
#2 receiver left
That's a lot of talent to replace, they literally had no returning depth at RB, lost their top 2 receivers and QB... can't blame that entirely on him. The 2007-2009 years were somewhat of a fluke in Kansas' history.
I would like the idea of switching into it once in awhile to give a different look. But I don't want to implement it as a majority of our defense just because we have a few guys who aren't as athletic.
Losing recruits because of a sudden 'revolving door' at OC wouldn't be moving in the right direction. If this is a bad hire, it could do irreparable damage to the program that could set us back years. There's absolutely no way Beams shrugs his shoulders and says "Well, that's just the way it is" if a coach tells him he's using the VT program as a stepping stone. If there's anything the Stiney tenure has taught us, it's that Beamer wants guys that are loyal to a fault, just like him.
The 2-3 is also much more difficult to rebound out of which is already a huge problem.
good post.
...but at what point is the new OC achieving acceptable success for us? Better doesn't mean all that much considering that the bar has been set pretty low. I don't think anybody here expects us to have a consistent top ten offense, at least with the way Beamer wants to manage a game, but are we looking for top twenty occasionally? Top fifty consistently? This is why it's a tricky hire. We need a guy that will look like a solid play-caller, can manage talent and transform our offensive line, all while achieving enough success to look good, but not so good that he bolts in 1-2 years. All of those things have to be considered along with recruiting and ideally getting someone with Virginia ties. That's a tough job description for anyone considering the job, and probably part of the reason why not much is leaking about candidates. We are also expecting someone with a pedigree, when the reality is that most guys with a good rep are spoken for in schools that pay just as well as we do. It's going to have to be a "diamond in the rough" candidate (and probably someone that's a dark horse) or a retread like the Fridge with Beamer ties.
We all know how eye-gougingly terrible that bowl game was to watch, but this fan base has MUCH higher expectations than just "getting better."
Don't take this as defending O'Cainspring, because I'm just as fed up as everyone else, but holy hell people need to calm down and be pragmatic.
First off: I would hope that we give whoever we bring in, more than one season to get things rollings.
And I don't think Beamer would make a change just for the sake of change. If Beamer wants to bring this guy in, or any guy for that matter, then I think we should trust his opinion on the guy. I wasn't saying that Beamer is making a change just to make a change. I'm saying from a fan's standpoint, at this point any change is good change.
What kind of message would it send if we give up on the search because we couldn't land Pep? "Okay Hokie Nation, I know we couldn't get one of the best young coaches out there so I guess we'll have to stick with Ocainspring. Just keep giving us your money and keep going on roadtrips to watch us lose because we have an incompetent offense. I know most of you may not like this, but you'll get over it. Go Hokies!" I wouldn't be too fond of that message at all.
I don't want our program to become a revolving door either but it's the nature of the business we're in. Coaches get hired, they get to prove themselves, and if they suck then they get replaced. That's how sports works, I didn't come up with the logic. Isn't that why we all want Ocainspring gone????
I would hope that Beamer wouldn't place his trust in somebody that would suck, but at this point, I'm down for just about anyone to come in. I'd much rather try to find a replacement, even if it takes many years and we have to go through a guy or two, then to just sit back and keep accepting Ocainspring's nonsense.
Bottomline, any change is good change. It lets me know we're moving in the right direction.
That was my first ever VT game that I went to. I was in the East Stands and I can still remember the crowd going wild because from our angle we couldn't see that he dropped it.
I just got goosebumps remembering that moment.
should be worth 25 yds/gm, LOL!
That play earned him the nickname at my house (for which he later atoned) Ernest "Iron Hands" Wilford.
Well to be fair, your dog could probably pick random plays with no real plan as well as O'Cainspring can.
The last successful pure pocket passer we had was Jim Druckenmiller. Quick rundown since then:
Al Clark was a scrambler.
Nick Sorenson was a pocket passer, but not necessarily very successful, as was Dave Meyer, and neither started a whole lot.
MV7.
Grant Noel. Most notable for almost taking the 2001 Miami Hurricanes to OT. If only Wilford had caught that ball...
Randall, scrambler.
MV5, scrambler.
Sean Glennon. Right.
Tyrod Taylor.
Logan Thomas.
I definitely want Logan back next year. If he can return to anywhere near his 2011 form, we should be able to legitimately compete for the ACC title. The people that clamor for Logan to turn pro are the same people that think we could put my dog at OC and win 10 games. While OCainspring has been collectively horrible, this next hire is extremely important. We can't put any joker at OC and expect to compete in a major conference. We also need a big-time QB, and Logan has proven that he CAN be one. The next OC will go a long way to determining whether he WILL be one in 2013.
but it shouldn't be hard to find an OC better than O'Cainspring. Hamilton, Long, Elliot, a rock...
I would love to switch back to the 2-3 zone. I know it doesn't necessarily help our 3 point shooting defense, but it should keep a lot of guys out of foul trouble and allow Beyer and Johnston to not be complete liabilities on defense considering they're going to have to play now.
The Wooden award and Heisman have turned into MVP awards instead of POY awards. They are both for the most outstanding player, not the best player on the best team. Erick Green has been one of the best players in the country, regardless of what our team has done. And I'd argue that the fact that our team is so bad around him makes it harder because defenses know to just focus on him. I don't think he'll end up winning it because of what the awards have turned into, but he should be 1st team All-ACC and top 3 in ACC POY voting. It's just a shame that he doesn't get the national recognition he deserves sometimes.
And I'd like to say that if he had better players around him he'd be averaging 5 or 6 assists per game because some of the passes he makes are incredible. I think he actually will be a legitimate point guard at the next level.
So by your logic its okay if this turns into a bad hire and we're back to the drawing board next year? What kind of message does that send to all stakeholders in this program (et al recruits, fans, boosters, other coaches). Change for the sake of change is horrifying to me and completely unacceptable. While I've grown tiresome of the whole coaching stability argument, the last thing I want our staff to become is a revolving door of faces and systems. Lets leave that to MAC schools and UVA.
Okay, yeah. I agree with you there. Historically, I don't think we've done too well with pocket passers. While Logan isn't necessarily a "pure" pocket passer, he can definitely NOT be described as a "scrambler."
Why the negative vote? Chuck Long may not be a Pep Hamilton but like Sova_Hokie is saying, at least we'll be getting rid of Ocainspring.
He may not be what we wanted but at the end of the day, Ocainspring will be gone and I thought that's what we all wanted. At least this shows that Beamer is trying to do the right thing (in terms of our offensive production, or lack thereof) for once and we're acting like a real program that makes changes when they're necessary.
If we get him and he sucks, then two things. 1) At least Ocainspring is gone (2) We'll replace him. At least we're making changes. Regardless of who the change is, any change is good in my opinion.
I'm not saying we should all be screaming from the top of mountains about Chuck Long. But I am saying we should be screaming from the top of mountains that Ocainspring is gone (if/when it happens).
I have learned that Pep Hamilton is no longer involved in Virginia Tech's search for a new offensive coordinator. bit.ly/sbcB2K— Pete Roussel (@coachingsearch) January 11, 2013
Yep. I was going to say something about the Heisman too. It's all about politics, pretty much. Popularity contest. Just about every award is now.
Our O-Line then was terrible, but against most defenses we were still moderately successful, partially because the opposing defenses had to game plan around Tyrod's feet a bit more than Logan's. And then there's the fact that Logan Thomas doesn't seem to be able to throw an accurate pass consistently, meaning more defenses feel a bit safer stacking the box now since we rarely complete anything over the top. Our O-Line now isn't really all that much worse that it was in 2007-2010, it's just that they are able to be more exploited because of our current personnel.
Tyrod Taylor spent a good amount of time running for his life, but that was something he was good at. Most of the time he could get out of the pocket and buy himself enough time to throw a decent pass, or take off down the sideline for 20 yards. Logan, when he gets under pressure, he either throws up a poorly advised pass, runs up the gut for 5-10 yards if there's an opening, or gets sacked if there isn't.
Could not agree with you more, but let's face it, when was the last time someobdy won this award that wasn't on a Sweet 16 caliber team, much less one that didn't make the tourney (it's looking more and more like we definitely won't).
Unfortunately, in the eyes of whoever votes for this, if you're team isn't a good team then you must not be that great of a player. It's complete bogus, but it works the same way with the Heisman and other awards like it.
That means we're playing in Chestnut Hill two years in a row...