Tech Thoughts: … a “P.A.T.T.y cake P.A.T.T.y cake” spring!

My articles write themselves, contrary to slightly popularized message-board belief. The Eye in the Sky is the final arbitrator of them all; the Eye in the Sky does not lie …as lying is for rugs.

However, could this spring have any higher of a Q-score? Any more sexxy if it tried? Lottsa guy pressing for playing-time or a dash up the O&M depth-chart which of course is the greatest possible problem of them all. i.e. too much talent, too much depth, and not enough football’s to go around.

Now, and that being said…

“…baker’s man.”

A new Qb1 huh?
Raise your hand if you saw that one coming 3+ weeks ago?
Me neither.

Though I will point out, that only one person wrote anything nice about Brenden Motley just 12 days ago. As a little birdie heard that Motley had finally made a few textbook passing mechanics improvements down in Blacksburg Virginia. Recall too that that very same someone was the one who ghosted that Motley was giving the scout time a very good shape and the 1’s some real live fits two fall’s ago. Recall as well that it is generally agreed that Motley is winning the arms-race for passing velocity on campus; at the moment –read: prior to Durkin’s arrival anywho. So congrats to Brenden on being nominated Qb1;  for the moment.

However, let’s take a look at what this does or could mean for Qb2.

Do any of you think that Mark Leal is even remotely taking this well? Recall this is a kid who has twice had to be talked into staying on campus. And there was just something really odd about seeing our starting Qb as our primary P.A.T. and FGA holder on our kicking teams. That’s basically a hidden rewards program folks, whereby you make room for a true-senior or r-senior to finally log 20 Quarters of participation and thereby finally add a letter to his Tech Letterman jacket before he graduates. Yes, it does go October 31st and bring some measure of trickeration into play with a Qb as the holder. Though since when has our Qb1 ever been a holder under Frank Beamer? About 1/2 past never; and nobody else saw this one coming, really? Or is it more like this one, could be leaving? Because do you really want a glorified refugee Qb1 turned rookie holder for a set of Kickers who just went 57% last year? As I have to serially wonder if Leal will wanna stick to sit and carry a clipboard after having waited 4 years for taking his very own hand at the reins? Would you???

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 Sometimes Virginia Tech does not know how to measure (or coach) Hite. I mean height. No way in the world I’ll ever believe that D.Wang is north of 6′ anything. Likewise no way in the world I’ll ever believe that Tyrod was merely 6′ nothing. My latest one is Parker Osterloh, your ex-Te now turned new left-Ot2. As I swear this guy is a lot closer to 6’10” than he is to anything else.

Parker is a really nice kid, who may have been too nice when he arrived. However, if Parker has legitimately worked his way into the #2 left or blindside not named southpaw Qb Andrew Ford Ot slot, this is about as big (pardon the pun) of an improvement that I’ve seen in 12 blocking months on campus in decades, plural. This kid kinda had a Mount Gore element to him when he arrived; albeit a more vertically stretchy one. As he had the look and feel of a kid who got by in high school by simply being bigger than everyone else, or in Parker’s case, simply by dwarfing anyone else. Now I’m told that his bench is up to 320 lbs. and that he posted a 315-pound power clean as well. Those of you who have cracked a few iron-plates in your day will be quick to point out to me that that’s not all that epic as those particular lifting metrics go. And you talk true.

However, I shall point out to you that that is a far cry from where Parker was when he entered Virginia Tech, and I shall also point out to you that he is doing this with a very Klitschko esque 86” wingspan or some very long ass arms that have to move the straight-bar father than anybody else on the whole entire football team. Those very same reach advantage arms mean that Parker can get his hands on you or any De he will most likely ever face, wait for it, loooooooooong before said De can even hope to get his hands on Parker. That’s very efficient in blocking terms overall and particularly efficacious in pass-protect.

I had heard this kid was (finally) doing a little better, and I for one am quite anxious to see what he’ does this weekend as he goes up against the 1’s as starting De’s go.

Coach Wiles boys:
Don’t look now men, though we might just be developing some real live defensive line depth. Dooley I called earlier, though I am most proud of C.Marshall who has righted his career via handling  his very own self in the swiftest race of them all … the Human Race.

If the Baron kid -who as the best kept secret in Tennessee high school football 2 seasons ago- gets his knee right, and presuming Nigel toggles his weight just right, and if that allows C.Marshall and his really hyper quick Gap-jumping style to stay fresh and to not wear down, this 2014 dLine is gonna be better than anyone else projects. Coach God and the associated health willing of course.

Maddy has been un-blockable at times this spring, my home-slice Dadi is still a bit hit and miss, though so was Reggie Jackson, and when Dadi is on target there is no such thing as a hard-target for this kid. Dooley looks like he has largemouth bass stapled to his triceps on the back of each arm, and Ken Ekanem has finally apparently shook off no less than 3 different nagging leg injuries of varying severity and is now starting to round back into his pre State Title game devastating form. I did call he could fight the run well enough, although mea culpa; I did not foresee that Ken was this healthy, and therefore able to spearhead what could be our best front-4 pass rushing dLine since 2005.

Yes, it is true, we will still need to get this undersized front-7 off the field in a hurry…

• @”the” OH.State (’nuff said…)
• vs. Georgia Tech (big bad Fb)
• @U.n.c. (tough dual threat Qb)
• @Pitt (best power rushing Tb in the A.c.c.)
• vs. Miami (and their Jurassic Park sized oLine)

However, if we can just go 2-2 in those closing four games, we’ve got a fair to middling chance to play 14 times next year, and pick up our 10th win in the post-season one way or another. As Linebacking help is on the way, once the VanDyke’s become serviceable again; and suddenly this 2014 Bud Foster stop-unit is looking more and more Bud Stout all the time. (READERs note: Ronny should be back to work before the Spring ends, hopefully, as the whispers say)

Speaking of the defense, as they say, a picture is worth a 1k words…

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See what I mean?

I call that 27% reduction in strength compared to the close of business 2013 in the Sun Bowl out in Texas El Paso.

Could it be those hold-over or remaining 3 outta 11 refugee 2013 maths have something to do with this 2014 spring time Virginia Tech offensive euphoria? Maybe? Possibly? Remotely?

The 2’s or second-string spring practice defense enjoys the very same 3 outta 11 mathematics for the moment. Until Baryon, and D.V.D. get well soon and until Facyson and Jarrett cause 2 downward demotions which will only buck-up the second-unit. So yes, on the P.A.T.T. side, both the 1’s and the 2’s are better in stop-unit terms than the 2014 spring practice O&M training room has recently allowed.

And this brings us to our first Word (or term) of the Day…

Masking Agent:

1. the remaining 2014 Virginia Tech starting defensive 1’s?
2. the remaining 2014 Virginia Tech back-up defensive 2’s?
3. or… A masking agent is a reagent used in chemical analysis which reacts with chemical species that may interfere in the analysis.

You tell me???

Defensive starters healthy=7, defensive starters hurt=4

“LET’S GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**