Recent Comments
Well if there's one thing we know about UNC, it's that if there's a rule set forth by the NCAA, they'll violate it.
unc did fire works in the middle of the day when they scored at the game. they also pumped a ton of artificial noise into the stadium when tech offense was on the field. i feel like there is a ncaa rule about playing noise once the team breaks the huddle but the unc band played and music was playing over the speakers several times when tech was at the line of scrimmage and even after logan snapped the ball. ive never seen a stadium with more artificial noise played throughout the game. does anyone know if there is a ncaa rule about this?
"we should be able to recruit better" but it won't happen until we actually win those big games.
So a few things to address..
1) I said "I'll shut up about Beamer, he's my homie..." in a comment above and then a few hours later "I respect your opinion, but I think you've made your point." I said I'd shut up, I don't know why that remark was necessary. Also, I'm not panicking at all, as I've said multiple times, I've felt this way for some time now about our coaching situation but didn't want to harp on it because I know it's a touchy subject. The poster brought it up, so I let all of my feelings be known. I said I'd shut up about it and I have. (Not sure if these comments were directed at me/my post but it seems they were. Sorry if I've interpreted it wrong)
2) I never said I expect Beamer to make changes in October and I never even said that I expect Beamer to be gone. I know that there's realistically no chance that Beamer walks away. All of my comments have been my wishes, what I hope will happen and what I think should happen to move our program forward. I never said, "I hope Beamer resigns this month" or "I hope Stinespring gets fired this week." Maybe that wasn't directed at me, but if it was, I'm unsure why.
3) Top 5 record may be an overrated statistic for those coaches that only have a handful of top 5 matchups. But when you have a larger sample size, ie 20, it matters. 1-19 is terrible and very relevant, no matter how you try to justify it.
And no hard feelings at all. Joe, I love the site and agree with most of your insight, so I don't want you/anybody to view this as a feud or anything similar. I'm just being honest and expressing my opinions.
Good Stuff!
VT should be able to recruit better, look at the roster of the Oregon and Oregon St and how few of the players are actually from the state of Oregon. There is no reason VT can't lock down the state of VA and get out of state guys as well.
Frank cares too much about Virginia Tech to just leave and play golf all day. He will want to do whatever he can to help the program until he is physically unable to do so. That may not be AD, but if history dictates anything (re: Tom Osborne) Steger, or whoever the current president is at the time, will offer him the opportunity to serve the university as AD, and I would be shocked if he turned it down.
Also, re: Tom Osborne, his primary focus was fundraising and being figurehead but he was also heavily involved in the courting of Pelini to Lincoln. Again, if history dictates anything, Frank will be that same driving force to find his replacement and considering everything I've already stated, that replacement will come from within the current ranks.
Beamer should stay, he will stay, hes a great coach, but...
he needs to figure something out, shake things up a bit, I don't want him to fade out like Tommy Tuberville or Phillip Fulmer.
Very comprehensive analysis and I appreciate this thoroughly. I only watched the game in drabs on Saturday.
The coaches must see what we see right? Some of this stuff is just plain awful. I agree Martin wtf is he doing? Even the O Line as well, repeatedly getting pushed back.
Be careful what you wish for, Joe. The new VT 247 sports site was awesome at first too. Then as word got out, the same ignorant turds who have so polluted the TSL message boards migrated over there. Thankfully, the 247 boards have a very convenient "Ignore" function which makes it much easier to pretend they don't exist. But the site still isn't nearly as enjoyable as it was 6 months ago when it first started.
So unless you plan on turning this site into an actual money-maker for yourself, I wouldn't go out of my way to publicize this site. But if you do, please be a lot quicker with yanking the passwords of idiots than either TSL or 247 have been.
Logan seems to have much more confidence in Fuller and Knowles than Davis and Roberts. They run consistent, sharp routes and have reliable hands. Davis and Roberts are simply athletes playing receiver and Davis dogs half of his routes. Did you see how crisp some of those timing routes were between LT and Knowles? I think the lack of consistency with Davis and Roberts led to a lot of LTs poor play. This is why when he thrived at the end of games he was mostly successful with fuller.
We should worry less about the uniform combinations and more about not playing like shit...
Top five wins are an extremely overrated metric for a coach or program. That statistic has been tossed around so much without context it is ridiculous. Most teams lose against top-5 teams, because, you guessed it, top-five teams are usually better than their opponent. I don't know it off the top of my head, but his winning percentage top-25 teams is much better. Also, I believe during the 10-win streak there have only been two seasons where we ended ranked lower in the AP poll than where we started.
I haven't lived through the history, but I am aware of our place in it. Beamer inherited a program on probation, cleaned it up, kept it clean, wrestled a fertile 757 away from Penn State, Tennessee, UNC, etc..., turned Lane into a temple, the state of Virginia orange and maroon, made the program relevant, and secured into a conference that has place in college football's next modern (playoff) era.
How many different teams have played for national championship during the BCS era?
LSU (2–1)
Florida (2–0)
Alabama (2-0)
Auburn (1–0)
Tennessee (1–0)
Oklahoma (1–3)
Texas (1–1)
Nebraska (0–1)
Florida State (1–2)
Miami, FL (1–1)
Virginia Tech (0–1)
Ohio State (1–2)
Oregon (0-1)
28 possible slots occupied by just 13 teams, and of those 13, 8 have been multiple times. Those 8, with the exception of maybe Miami, are modern college football's elite. They have more money, more fans, more history, more tradition than Virginia Tech. The Hokies have been a great program for about 18 years, all under Beamer's watch. There's very little other positive history, basically blips on the radar here and there. Those schools go way back and have built upon generations of success and fan support to get where they are now. Virginia Tech is building towards that, but not there yet. Unlike the BCS, winning the conference is totally determined on the field, and Beamer's done that both in the Big East and ACC.
Furthermore, expecting Beamer to make changes is October is insane. He's proven he will make changes, but not act hastily. That's who he is, that's why he is respected. He could still get us to Charlotte and beat UVA which were the only two realistic goals at the start of the season. I'm frustrated over the losses, but panic is still premature, and I've celebrated enough wins to get through a down year.
I respect your opinion, but I think you've made your point.
Maybe if we knock off the back-to-back BCS Champ (yes. I think Bama wins it again this year) we'll get some respect?
Are we talking moderating the comments/posts put up here (as far as changes go)? Because that could become necessary if the community begins to attract some of the "wrong" crowd.
Yea they real big in the south. They are doing them alot in DC and the Baltimore area. They are getting into it in the VA beach area as well. Great place to locate some of those athletes needed.
Don't mention it. Best online fan community anywhere, I believe.
This popped into my head too. I don't really think it is relevant.
For those of you who have been around here since 2010, yeah this place is starting to grow up quickly. We average north of 10k page views a day now, in 2010 it was about 500. On top of that, I can't remember more than *maybe* 2 comments in 2.5 seasons that were trollish or over the top. For example, in the "Is it really time for Frank Beamer to go?" thread, I really feel like it's a hot topic, that might degrade quickly on another site. However, everyone has been very rational, insightful, and respectful, no matter what their stance.
I really think we have a terrific and smart bunch of contributors (that means everyone who shares their thoughts in these threads) and I think it will remain that way. I tried to design the site in a way that would lend itself to better discourse. During the offseason, new features will debut that will really help things stay intelligent as the site grows.
Thanks for the support!
Bud Foster definitely doesn't have Beamer personal charm. That's important when representing the program to the press and to the fan base.
Right now, getting the word out is the top priority. Also, we plan on remaining free forever. I personally don't believe in a subscription model. There will be shirts, I promise, and they will help cover server costs and travel expenses. Thank you guys for your support!
I'll believe it's time for him to go, if we start losing to that other school on a routine basis. I'm not ready to right off Coach Beamer just yet, but wrote off some of his subordinates long ago.
I would like to know the thought(s) on who(m) should be out there in place of who(m) as you speak on starters vs bench/role players -ahem, mister Davis. It seems this season is a wash with coaches and players alike realizing this not a right, but a privilige, to be considered a big time program today.
But like the previous "pre-Shane..." post, we should see better, hopefully more-hungry talent, with Cornell and Shane in kids' living rooms, soon. Which SHOULD produce a better product on the field in years to come.
A (futures) question is, can the staff coach the promising wunderkind freshman and sophomores that come to contending schools and contribute in their first couple years on campus. It seems Frankinator's expression is the style of coaching and approach they have with their team(s) which appears out-of-touch.
In perspective, this site is an indication of where it's all come from and where it's been. Many thanks to our hosts and to my fellow readers, continuing on with the groundswell and romance of college football in titillating bliss with Hokie nation.
So do I, really hope it happens and I'll be there to see it!
I'll shut up about Beamer though, he's my homie, so I'll just echo the thoughts of everyone else and say some kind change is necessary... or we're going to get left behind.
We'll get that chance to begin the 2013 season... I hope that we come through.
Great write up French and a thanks to you and the rest of TKP staff who work so hard. With all of the breakdowns and bad play we are seeing on defense what do you feel is the problem and the solution? Is it the players, the coaches or a combination of the two? I know everybody feels that certain members of the offensive staff need to but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe some defensive coaches need to go too?