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I'm actually a little surprised he's not on the staff in some capacity already. I've always thought this would be the natural place for him to end up.
Looking down the road, if we don't do a national search to find the replacement for Frank, then we're short-changing the program. I want us to go after guys we might not be able to land too. For example, if the Frankinator choose to retire tomorrow call Chris Petersen, Dana Holgorsen, the hot-shot coordinators like Manny Diaz, Kirby Smart. Take a shot. If Shane stacks up to a well vetted list of candidates and earns the job, then I have no problem with him taking over.
However, the job shouldn't pass down to Shane like a birthright. In my opinion, Weaver will be retired before it happens, and we need to find a strong athletic director to make the next hire.
Fuck this:
Fuck this:
Keep this:
I think (if this were a real situation) we could also consider some successful position coaches from other successful schools. I'm sure Oregon's O-line coach would take an OC job at VT? (BTW, I have no clue who Oregon's O-line coach is, just kinda pulled the school/position out of my ass).
I'll take it!
I think we need a big change. I fear that Shane would just be Frank #2. Also, I don't think Shane has enough experience. Even if Bud were to take over, I think he has enough of a different personality/view of the game that it would offer a good enough change.
In addition to the individual player, I think a lot of it has to do with the position. Skill guys like RB, QB, WR have shown a tendency to go with the rebuilding or upstart program, especially if it is a name brand, because they are going to have the ball in their hands with a chance to score and all of the attention that comes with that. If it happens to come for a program reaching new heights (RGIII at Baylor) then even better. I remember an interview with Bobby Bowden during F$U down years where he was asked if poor rushing hurt recruiting RBs, and he said that it was actually the opposite, because you can preach to the kid that he is the one to turn it around.
I think where it really makes a difference is with the big uglies and LBs, etc. who have to work extremely hard and often don't get recognition that the skill players get. They want to be on a winning team because that is often their biggest/only reward.
since we didn't pull the trigger to hire him as OC when he was fired, he's a little hungrier to get back in the game. He could make a great 5 year run at OC at Tech. I don't need a lifetime commitment from him, just enough to prove that how Stiney calls games is not acceptable.
Fridge has a great offensive mind, so turn him loose. Heck, I'd even deliver a pizza at the beginning of every quarter or for every touchdown. Just imagine THOSE commercials.
Please consider me a big fan of your work. I feel like I learn something every time I read one of your columns.
Your column on the Cincinnati game confirmed several feelings that I took away from it:
1) The biggest single problem with our offense right now is the erratic play of our QB
2) Our blocking schemes are too complicated and difficult to execute consistently
3) Our OL has the potential to jell into a good unit if we can simplify things for them a bit
4) The play selection, all in all, is good. The plays being run aren't the problem. It's the way they are (or rather aren't) being executed.
5) We aren't that far away from being able to get much better on offense. Beamer really is right when he says that it's usually a case of 10 guys doing what they're supposed to do and 1 guy blowing his assignment.
Please keep up the fine work. Hopefully you'll be able to take a somewhat more positive tone with your column on the UNC game.
I ripped Beamer after the Sugar Bowl, and here is the difference.
Fuller was put into a perfect position to be successful, and he failed to execute.
Danny Coale was made a scapegoat for an awful decision, and then had a game winning catch ripped away from him.
Also, Foster rips Fuller after a film review and two days of corrections. Frank did it immediately after the game, to take the heat off himself. Run-Pass option my foot. It was a straight run, and a horrible play call, and Beamer shirked responsibility for it.
is there anyone hypothetically you'd want and you could realistically see come be the OC
correct. i'm not joking, this is correct.
Malleck was a guy that I really saw bringing the best of the blocking tight end with catch production to the position, especially with how they used him in fall practice. Instead, he has dropped several balls (including a critical one before the Davis overthrow in the 4th quarter.) Defenses are not paying attention to him, and he isn't making them pay.
Tight end is another tough position that is hurting the offense. If they play Dunn, VT is limited in what they can do in the running game. Malleck isn't quite strong enough at the point of attack, and he isn't quite quick enough to punish defenses down the middle of the field. And Martin sometimes gets good push, but is incredibly erratic blocking and is no threat in the down field passing game.
If Logan could have hit Honey Boo Boo's mom in the ass, the Hokies would have thrown for 300+ yards. There were a bunch of guys open all game long. The throws just were not made.
Hey Curt, heads up! GIFSoup
what were you expecting from him? he is a true soph playing to the level of or better than a 4th year senior and a 5th year senior... the tight end has not been a position of great production in a number of years but malleck looks like a guy who could change that. You have to look and remember, just like Stiney did, that he is only a true soph and he has only been playing in the offense for a few games. He is going to be a good one before its all said and done.
They need Davis on the field to be successful, but those plays fly against everything I have ever been taught about football. This new offense MUST have wide receivers blocking, or it affords defensive back the time to play the receiver first because he knows that the receiver won't make any effort to block him if it is a run. That completely limits the effectiveness of play action and makes it harder for Davis to get open. I have not been able to get a good feel for Knowles blocking when he is in, but Fuller, Davis, and Roberts have all been poor this season.
I thought Michael Cole gave every ounce he had on Saturday, but he looked confused so often before the snap that any time he wasn't coming forward against the run, I got nervous.
I watched Cole play against Richlands in a VHSL playoff game, and I thought he would make a terrific addition to the Hokies, but right now he doesn't look athletic enough to be effective in the Hokies aggressive man to man looks that they are using now. Right now, he is the best option, but I can tell you that he is playing by default. If you think Cole struggled, you should have seen the 3rd string kids during fall camp. They are really, really bad. Once the Hokies develop some depth at the position, I would imagine that Cole ultimately ends up at whip or backer. He proved on Saturday that he is an excellent tackler close to the line of scrimmage, where the Hokies rotated Jarrett and Cole almost as the old 4-4 style rover depending on the strength of the formation.
If it had been me, I would have liked to have seen the 3-3-5 we saw versus Bowling Green on the last drive, but with DHop at nose, Taylor-JGW-and Cole at LB, and Bonner, RVD, and Jarrett in short zones with Fuller and Exum playing deep halves. Of course, it wasn't Cole that got burned, it was Fuller. We will look more at the final drive in my defensive review later this week.
OL coach Curt Newsome said Caleb Farris has played so well, the team is working him at guard this week too. Wang, Via remain likely starters— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) October 2, 2012
After watching the film, I was suprised that Farris didn't play more. Miller is more effective when he can pull and get out in space, but teams are negating that by lining up defensive tackles either eagled (over one of his shoulders) on the center or playing as a one technique angled towards the center. Miller has not been able to road grade those big bodies, and while I am not sure, I suspect that he is weak in recognizing fronts and setting protections or changing the blocking scheme. Cincy even eagled both defensive tackles, and would stunt one away from Miller, trying to get him confused and bust an assignment. It happened frequently early in the game.
To his, and the rest of the offensive linemen's credit, by the end of the game they were exerting dominance. At the snap, almost every Bearcat defender was being driven backwards. I thought the 4th quarter was the best quarter of football the OL played all season. Farris was a part of it, and seems to get more push than Miller. As with some other decisions about who is playing, I think you would need to ask Coach Newsome (while he is attached to a lie detector) why Miller continues to start over Farris.
Benedict needs to be on the field as well. He still struggles out in space, but he gets the push inside the Hokies need to make the read option work. Via does sometimes, but Benedict is more consistent.
Sit them down and let Asante and Knowles and anyone else learn. Have to be willing to make that sacrafice or the problem will continue for years.
"Why would the Fridge be a good fit?"
He's close friends with Frank, he knows the game, he wants a job that isn't a HC gig, he wants a coaching job will considerably less stress, he wants a job that enable him to improve his health, he wants a job where he can still help kids and recruit, kids will come to play for him (only reason UMD EVER got recruits such as Heyward-Bey, Vernon Davis, etc), he's passionate about the game, he's an offensive mastermind, Stinespring is an excellent o-line coach so Frank wouldn't have to fire anyone, and beamer would solve all major offense problems while bringing in someone he trusts.
"Well gee, that's pretty awesome. So why haven't we offered him yet?"
Frank will not fire/demote anyone on his staff and Stinespring is too ignorant to realize what's going on, as has been the case for the last 8 years.
Talking about Sprinespring getting fired is like talking about the Sorpranos. Move on. Find a new show. (credit to forgetting sarah marshall)
If its possible to be both impressed and not impressed with our offense, I am both impressed and not impressed with our offense.
My high notes lie with the LT3 run, and our running back production. The UC core was its front seven and the fact that we managed to have the production we had was one of the few positives of the night. As I told joe the other night, I was worried about Walter Stewart only because I was concerned he would a) take down JC on the outside and/or b) slow down LT enough to have someone else(s) actually take him down. We generally kept Walter Stewart and his counterparts in check and for that I was happy.
My low notes lie with LT3's passing and the WR corps. The UC secondary does not exist. It has not existed for years. It only gets thinner as we put more wideouts on the field. I could probably run a route that would fool Drew Frey. There was no reason that Corey Fuller shouldn't have put up 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. If our air attack was more confident, we could have ended this game early. On the offensive side of the game, that fact alone probably upset me the most. This will be even more evident when Teddy Bridgewater racks up 450 and a couple touchdowns in a few weeks.
The key would be to have our air attack at the same confidence level as our ground attack but in the last 10 years, I can think of (maybe) 3 years where that was the case. 2 years with Coale, 1 with Wilford.
Looking forward to the D analysis.
Stinespring wouldn't get heat like this if the offense at least moved the ball consistently and looked competently coached and run. After the 5th game of the season this shouldn't be an issue. Platitudes and the usual scapegoats of 'executing' and 'one block away' only carry you so far. Foster has earned a little leeway with the defense along with the special teams carrying the team for a long time now.
I'm in the minority that thought the ending of the Sopranos was pretty good, and I'm still holding out hope for the movie.