Been coming across this social media stuff more often and it's starting to make me sick.
It's one thing to publicly call out the people getting paid, it's a completely different thing to publicly mock and verbally abuse student-athletes. It's a freaking game.
I know, I know..."all it takes is one bad apple to ruin the bunch..." But still. I've seen PLENTY of people from various Hokie fan sites (including TKP) tweet this type of stuff at struggling players and recruits who end up picking other teams.
Real Hokies aren't haters, damnit.
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This shit happens ALL the time when a team is losing. Backup QB is the most popular player on the team when the team isn't playing well.
Let it go, some VT fans are no different than some other fans in college or the NFL. If Brewer has any perspective, he's not going to give two shits what a few idiots have to say.
There's a difference between giving a paid professional athlete crap and berating an unpaid 18-22 year old on social media.
No kidding. And "this shit happens ALL the time" doesn't make it anywhere close to right. I'm all for putting the best players on the field and realize we need to play better, but it's despicable to tweet directly at any athlete, especially an amateur one, with this kind of vitriol if you ask me.
I don't think, or at least sincerely hope, that anyone thinks tweeting stuff like this directly to athletes is "right."
We all agree that people like that are human scum. There's just literally not much you can do about terrible people acting terribly, especially on the internet.
These guys are (technically) adults. Shielding them from the real world and coddling them doesn't do us or them any good.
There are always going to be stupid people in the world. Instead of trying to change the disposition of stupid people (which is next to impossible), teach them how to react to stupid people. Then they'll be better prepared for life in college and life post-Blacksburg.
It's the same thing that people were doing to Sean Glennon back in the day and even after he graduated when he was working and got a bunch of prank calls. There are always going to be bad apples that need to grow up.
West Virginia has couch burners. We have idiots. They're all the same.
Without Brewer, no win over OSU. Go Brewer. Go Hokies!
It's really disappointing that we live in a society where this much venom is spewed out toward others. My question is this: If we're fans and supporters of Virginia Tech, but we don't support our players (good or bad), then what are we really supporting? A team and a university are nothing without the people involved. If Michael Brewer or any other player were bad people, then by all means we shouldn't support that. However, Brewer is always a class act. Whether he's a successful QB or not, he's still beating the people tweeting this garbage at the most important game...LIFE.
Part of the culture that we live in today where the internet tough guy persona runs rampant. Colin Kaepernick has a good time with it and keeps things in perspective. These are cowards that hide behind their computer screen and wouldn't have the balls to even make eye contact with the players in real life, let alone heckle/troll them.
That is a great oxymoron.
It's amazing to me how quickly some "fans" forget that brewer lead us to our biggest win in sometime. They seriously think benching a single player is the answer to our issues? I think they need to have a word with French and co.
Words? I'd rag doll the little #$%* who wrote it and then ask how well he would be able to throw the football after I did it.
Oh, to be able to give more than one leg for this comment.
Seconded. The thought of French coming at me with the intent to kill is terrifying...
Kind of like your conversation with that jackass on Twitter after the GT game. Pretty classic exchange
Willingness to spout crap via social media is inversely proportional to one's actual knowledge on the topic.
Idiots.
And no one has to defend what they say on Social Media, unless they are already famous.
Amen! I now understand how you got over 21K legs. And here's another for good measure.
You might have to explain your comment in slow motion to them.
I personally have liked Leal for 3 years now. He knows the offense better, and knows all the players better. He got thrown into the lions den against UCLA after not taking any reps with first team possibly ever. I will respect the decisions our coaches make, but personally I can't help but wonder how he'd do if given an opportunity. I really felt sorry for the guy once Brewer came and and was immediately lifted up as "the one to beat" before even taking a snap. He waited patiently for 4 years and definitely has been nothing but supportive of Brewer as he came in when most would not be.
With that being said, a frustrated fan calling for a change in a struggling program is one thing. This "Fuck Brewer" stuff is completely unnecessary and is detrimental to our image.
I'll always have nothing but respect for Leal because of how he stuck with it and has been a great team player all these years. That said, his play on the field, up until we no longer had access to viewing it, just wasn't starter - caliber. The offense may or may not improve with Leal in there, but there are several other problems as well. I'm not sure if starting Andrew Luck would help our OLine remember they have different rules for blocking zone and power plays. Or to maintain their responsibility when the defense stunts.
I agree there are plenty of problems going on other than Brewer, but I would consider letting Mark Emmert name my first-born if Andrew Luck was behind center for us this season. That guy is a leader and the type of special player that elevates the players around him (not only through his play on the field, but with pre-snap reads, film study, and preparation). Our guys play hard but it's clearly not all coming together for them.
I disagree that Leal knows the offense better. Leal has been here for 3 years, yes, but he's seen 3 different offenses. He saw 2011 O'Cain, 2012 O'Cain/Stinespring, and 2013 Loeffler. 2011 and 2012 were similar and 2013 was revolved around Logan with a new OC. That's not the same offense at all that we are running today. We have no QB run game like we've had in years past.
Not sure how you come to this conclusion? If he knew the offense better, wouldn't he be starting? How can he know the players better, our top backs and receivers are all freshman?
He's had an extra year under Loeffler giving him a better insight to his tendencies. Yes the offense is different than last year, but the only huge difference is that we have taken the read option out of the playbook. We are still a team that when we throw the ball we rely heavily on drag routes and screen passes.
I don't like the argument our top backs and receivers are all freshman? Thats taking away from the rest of the team. A quarterback is supposed to be a leader for the entire team and having good chemistry with everyone on the sideline can get an entire team pumped up which can translate to the field.
And yes I do think he probably knows the freshman better. He most likely played a role in the recruiting process since he most likely was thinking the team was his coming into this year.
Just because he's been there an extra year doesn't necessarily mean he knows the offense better. It also does not mean that he can execute better.
Our leading rushers:
Our leading receivers:
Notice how Knowles and Stanford, two former starters have 8 combined catches. Also noticed how JC has been eclipsed (I won't mention Trey given he's injured). This isn't a shot at anyone, but I have never seen Knowles or Stanford make the catches that I consistently see Ford and Phillips make.
What evidence do we have that Leal is a better leader than Brewer? Nothing against Leal, I haven't seen anything to suggest that he can't be a leader, but nothing to suggest he's a better leader than Brewer.
Our coaches have a far greater effect on the recruiting process than these players. I don't know how you can make this claim...
I too feel for Leal. But it sounds like he got his shot this summer. I don't know what actually goes on behind the scenes (use to have some #sources, but they graduated), but I do believe that our coaches want to win NOW. I doubt they would leave any player on the bench if they thought that player could help us win now.
Agreed. Sidenote - did you catch the name of the guy who tweeted "f Michael Brewer"??? What a douche canoe!
I dunno, he sounds like a classy gentleman to me. /sarcastia
If you thought this was bad you should have seen the twitter meltdown from Ohio State fans when we beat them. Or the meltdown from Texas and UF fans the last few years. Or the stuff Lane Kiffin is dealing with in his return to Tennessee this weekend. Or the things USC fans have to say about Pete Carroll. Or the things UNC fans have to say about McCants, or the whistleblowing teacher. Or the things Miami fans were saying about their players the last 3 years. Or the things Ole Miss fans said this weekend at the end of the game. Or the things ND fans said after their game against FSU. Or the things Alabama fans said after last year's Iron Bowl. Or the things anyone has said about their own team when a scapegoat is named when things start going south.
Happens to every fanbase. You don't have to like it, but you have to accept it is going to happen.
Here's the thing...people, in general, are the worst.
It's a bummer to see people act like that, but there's nothing you can do really as people are the worst. That said, acting like this would affect recruits/players in any way that would differ from any other major D1 school is pointless. Like you illustrate, it happens at every single school. It's a shame, but it's just part of the world we live in now.
Individual People can be awesome, and a lot of them really are...but "People" as a whole are...just horrific.
I rarely read insight or pay much attention to comments from people on other sites and social media. there's horrible stuff being said but people were calling for Logan's head last year too. all the more reason why TKP is awesome cause although we all vent and have different thoughts as to what could help, there's very little of just pure bs that gets posted here by users
I have a few thoughts:
I was gonna say...
It's the internet man, don't sweat it.
You can find hundreds and thousands of racist/sexist/evil/homophobic/insensitive tweets on any topic. When people can anonymously say whatever they want, people anonymously say whatever they want. Just don't go searching for it and you'll never read it, that's the motto I live by on social networks.
stupid people are everywhere, unfortunately some follow VT athletics. don't give them more credence, just...
To be fair, it sounds like at least a few of those aren't even hokie fans... Just trolls watching the game. #3 and 5, specifically. Furthermore - it's the internet. Assholes are gonna be assholes. If a couple trolls are enough to shake a qb, he probably isn't mentally tough enough.
Was going to say the same thing about some of them not being fans.
I'm sure the team knows where to go to get true fan base feelings.
Amazing how history repeats itself. People screaming to see Leal when LT had troubles (due to the O-line and lack of playmakers around him!). Leal finally gets in against UCLA and shows why LT was starting all along.
Now people screaming to see Leal when Brewer has troubles, many of which are due to underperforming players around him. We've already seen how this story ends once. Do we want to see it again? Leal is a 5th year senior. If he were the answer, he'd have seen the field more by now. There was a reason the coaches brought in a transfer instead of handing the reins to their 5th year senior Leal while Motley/Ford/Durkin prepared to take over.
I would think for QB recruits, seeing a guy struggle, but be given a chance to work things out would be a good example to see. They know they won't get yanked in and out of the line up constantly like Spurrier used to do with his QB's at Florida.
While I get what you're saying re: QBs probably not liking to be pulled a la Spurrier, didn't he generally do very well recruiting QBs?
I would never rag a player or recruit online and honestly I don't rag anyone on social media outside Tony Romo (And I am a Dallas fan). I feel our staff requires some berating at times though. I am sure a lot of the boos on Thursday were aimed at the staff more so than the players.
Glennon is talked down on here all the time. Its almost as if he is still on the team. This is years after he left VT. Anyone having a subscription is likely to be or put up with arsehole fans. This site is better than others, but bad behaviour occurs on all these sites.
YES!!
I can't believe I didn't see this!
Logan Thomas tweeting to put in Mark Leal was the moment that Hokie Nation divided by zero...
Surprising that he of all people doesn't have a little more sympathy to the situation Brewer is currently in. Not saying he's right or wrong, just saying it's interesting.
I think Logan feels for Brewer, but he did spend 3 years on campus with Leal. He probably just has more ties to Mark because of thier common experiences. I bet he is trying to talk Mark up, and not trying to talk Brewer down.
It should be noted that I think a few of those tweets were Texas Tech fans. Not sure why they care. On the front of the backup QB, he's every uneducated fan's favorite player. Just because the offense is bad, doesn't mean the QB is bad. How many times has the backup QB come in and become superhero? Not many.
Also anybody remember the 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams who received death threats after the NFC championship. People will say anything through the internet.
Tom Brady?
Yessir. But Tom got the call because Bledsoe got injured. Hard to think of a time where the starter was performing poorly and the backup stepped in and became a star. Especially in college football.
You could discount it for being redshirted instead of a regular backup, but Tyrod Taylor
Unfortunately, Pat White. He was 3rd team to start his freshman season but people kept getting hurt. He's a great person (apparently), but played for wvu so I can't help but hate the guy
I honestly always enjoyed WVU football in an odd way. Maybe it was just the people I knew growing up. But I guess the point I was trying to make is that people keep calling for Leal who is a Senior. All of these examples regard the starters getting hurt, and high caliber recruits taking over. Just want people to realize at this point in the season, if Leal was better, he would be in the game.
You nearly had me all the way through the post until the last throwaway line:
"Real Hokies aren't haters."
For one thing, I personally dislike the labeling of who's a "real Hokie" and who isn't. But my bigger problem is with the haters tag. Yes, the "str0ng taek" tweets are bad - "eff [player]" stuff isn't right - but there is a faction on this site that feels that any criticism, or frustration expressed, regarding the players is The Worst Thing Ever. For whatever reason they express.
And that's just as wrong. These guys are given scholarship dollars and the adulation of the crowd, and as athletes in America, can get away with a lot, if they're so inclined. So taking criticism when you don't perform is something they ALSO need to take, both as a part of life, and just the "bad with the good" thing.
The only things I have to say about/to Brewer is: 1) if you're hurt and can't make the throws now, TELL SOMEONE; 2) you're throwing it too much to the guys wearing the other color jerseys, so stop doing that.
I remember being super drunk after one of our losses last year and scobeard started searching LT3's mentions on Twitter and we start tweeting shit back at the people being dicks to him. It was cathartic but ultimately fruitless because they're idiots. Felt super good, tho, while we were doing it.
We are a society of self-important whiners who always think "I can do a better" even without the necessary skill or knowledge base. But what more should we expect from a culture thats rallying cry has become #selfie.
We are entitled, impatient, lazy, naive, and frequently exhibit lynchmob mentality.
I don't mind people having opinions and announcing them on a public forum for all the world to see (as much as I may agree or disagree with them). What I do have an issue with are those who take the time to tweet directly at a college athlete.
Yes, there will always be those people who will be dicks and cross the line, but now we live in a world where we have unprecedented access to these kids and it's easier than ever to harass them. No longer do trolls have to look up a person's contact info at their job to prank call them, they can just look them up on twitter.