Just saw a roundtable segment hosted by Herbie. Pretty much everyone said that they expect the defense to carry the team. They also had little faith in the offense and special teams. Pretty much was concerned about the line and the running game. Only Logan Thomas got any praise. Also one guy said that we may not get 10 wins this year and this will be the first time in awhile that we could have a down season due to the offense.
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Finally
This discussion finally seems more down to earth. Too bad they're still gonna be drinking the FSU and Clemson (&UVA) koolaid.
38-0 bro
They forget
CFB & Co have of way of reloading every year. There have been many years where the defense has carried the team and VT has been very successful. Lower expectations seem to be good for us. The results are determined on the grass and not in the booth.
This team is very reminiscent
Of our 2005 Squad to me. How they didn't do better than than 11-2 is astounding when you consider the droves of talent on both sides of the ball. Looking back at names like Will Montgomery, Duane Brown, Nick Schmidt, Aaron rouse, Jimmy Williams, Xavier Adibi, Vince Hall, Darryl tapp, etc its more than perplexing. However, what I saw with that squad compared to our guys this year is how dominant the defense looks. We finally have a solid 8 man rotation on the line with a supplementing LB corps. The secondary is a bit thin and can prove frail in a jiffy if injury hits. Nonetheless, BF and TG should get everyone out there in fighting shape. This unit is the most exciting to watch out for this fall.
Our offense may look glaringly different without guys like Royal and Clowney but when you consider how poised LT is over little Vick (as well as disciplined) there is some hope. The Tailback situation has some similarities as well. The Humes/Imoh tandem wasn't flashy or dynamic but they got the job done more often than not. From what I've heard, Holmes may not have great top end speed but he can pound the rock with some elusiveness and strength. Adding Scales and Coleman in a variety of packages will only solidify the position as long as our o-line can come together. I also truly believe that this could be Marcus Davis' year. he's a big guy with some good hands once he becomes comfortable with his routes. Not much needs to be said about STRAIGHTBURNER when healthy either. I really really hope we can have him as a force on Jet sweeps while focusing D.J. Coles on screen play. These two will certainly help us manage the game with good chunks of yardage.
I've probably blabbed too much already but I'm excited moreso about our teams potential. Are they a National Championship calibur team? errrr, maybe not. However, I see enough to get that 10+. As the analysts have mentioned though, we should definitely have that thursday night game circled come November. We just have to get over that GT game first then keep the foot on the pedal.
** Feel free to call out any evaluation here. I forgot to mention the TE position as it doesnt seem apparent that we have a Jeff King type of guy. What we do have is Randall Dunn who can be what Greg Boone was supposed to be.
WR's
Marcus Davis does not have good hands. He rarely catches the ball cleanly, although he still makes plays with his athleticism. I think DJ Coles will be our best receiver if he can get healthy and get in some reps. What we have not seen him do yet is go up over a DB and come down with the ball, but watching him catch a slant or a screen on the run is gold. He catches the ball with his fingers (ie that one fade he caught in the back corner of the endzone..) and he is so smooth after the catch. Plus, he goes hammer time in the run game.
agreed. Coles will be the man. If a receiver is utilized on jet sweeps, it will be Roberts and Caleb. Davis is a straightline guy who they will keep at split end.
Drew Harris
I just seen someone on a message board say they heard Harris was going to have to prep for a year to qualify at VT. That's the first I have heard of that, anyone else caught wind of this situation?
he is very close
but not there yet.
That's not optimal.
Any idea when they'll know? This is an understatement, but we night to depend on big time this fall.
in a few weeks
i've heard, so my guess is he took the most recent sat and or to see his final h.s. grades. 1 of the 2 has to come up, is how i've gathered it.
close to having to prep
Or close to qualifying?
Isn't that the same thing?
pretty much
he will likely go to one of the va prep schools if he does not qual.
I couldn't tell from BCO's comment earlier if he was maybe slacking off in school and his grades were going down, but he was still ok for the moment i.e. not to the point yet where he would need to prep.
Anyway, this sucks though I am really stoked to see him play.
Just posted earlier but
I figured I would chime in here quickly. Firstly, I see us winning 10 games and the Division. Though UVA has made strides I think our immediate threats in the Coastal are thug U and GT as usual. With GT I think getting them in week one is great and allows that hurdle to be cleared early/VT to be playing in front for the first weeks. I think Miami is the dark horse but won't comment until I read and hear more about Golden year two. UNC could also be a threat (but same thing- won't comment until I read more on Fedora). In terms of ACC Title, Clemson should be the favorite as the defending champ and I still don't think we match-up well but only time will tell in the new season. I did think the critiques of the offense were a tad harsh but generally fair. The o-line has been a question since I can remember and we're replacing a ton of weapons. Minus LT3, Coles, and Davis, there are a lot of unknowns. As per usual I agree and think that the defense will carry the team. But....Schlabach...(facepalm)....you should really hide your obvious idolizing on air when discussing Mike London (kidding...sort of). Yeah he has brought UVA back to the 757 but from all the stuff I have read thanks to Twitter and the fine enlightened folks on this website, I gotta wonder how long that lasts.