Tech Thoughts: bourbonstreet vs. Will round #3!

“…to leverage VT’s popularity into improved, Top-10 level recruiting…

Will freakin’ Stew‘-

Okay Will… I’ll play; like what?
How???

Today’s word of the day is: how

howTSL recruiting logo

(hou)

adverb

  1. In what manner or way; by what means:
  2. In what state or condition:
  3. To what extent, amount, or degree:
  4. For what reason or purpose; why:
  5. With what meaning:
  6. By what measure; in what units:
  7. Frank was magically gonna do this… how?

I wanted to answer up here, separately: My biggest regret is that once Frank made VT good, he lacked vision to make VT GREAT. He stuck to the things that got him there, instead of building on them.

Probably where he really, really failed to reach for greatness was to leverage VT’s popularity into improved, top-ten level recruiting. He stuck to what he knew: boots-on-the-ground, relationships-with-high-school-coaches, in-state-oriented, family-style recruiting.

One mo’ time sports-fans…………………….how???

 (READERs note: this dais is only re: Recruiting, not coaching hires nor auxiliary football staffing expansion thereof; which, yah; I’m kinda forced to be in league with Will there, …poor Will!)
; )

Now here is the next step question of all O&M gridiron questions:
Was that next “great” Recruiting step umpossible for Tech to take?

Hmmmmmmm, I won’t officially (on/off) the record publish: “yes”. As we prolly could have been a little better. Although there is a reason why no new school has won a M.N.C. since 1991. There is a reason why every modern era M.N.C. winner has a >85,000 seat stadium.

And yet here we are at the dawn of the time of the year that drives me most batty. In particular after any version of Staffing turnover. Formulaic message board drudgery insert here: (_______) check! As it typically formulates itself as something like this…

“Curt Newsome is a great offensive-line coach; and he can recruit the peninsula!”
“Coach Grimy is Roadhouse bouncer bad-ass, and he’s the “tip of the spear”!
“Scot Loeffler is the BEST bourbonstreet! We should have hired him a long time ago.”

On and on and on… Sans thought.

"how" many up votes do you get for explaining ...how?
“how” many up votes do you get for explaining …how?

As try as we might, football still ain’t rocket-surgery folks; and the mind is still the largest muscle in the human-body. Well, unless of course it ain’t. As now it is coach-Fu’s turn to go round-n-round on the TSL regurgitation driven can do no ‘rong message board lazy Susan. With all do reverence to cows everywhere -one 0f which just so happens to be on my plate- …maybe if we keep saying it long enough it will  actually come true; well maybe; just this once?

And yet now we’ve actually started claiming that punches that were never ever thrown in the first place, not only landed; they landed via a major re-visionary recruiting kayo? Huh??! So what’s a Frank to do…?

Now gents, let us agree to attempt actually engage in thought in lieu of pure reaction(s)… accordingly; what was my boy Frank gonna do to make that national Top-10 Recruiting reach again?

  • credibly,
  • objectively,
  • specifics,
  • which are all code for what again?
will stew logo
queen to Queen’s level III?

A it is no better than softball batting practice with an aluminum bat on here just to say that and walk-away. Me? I need to back that up with a walk-off HR baby!


Why you sagely ask?

Because Frank IS unique in that respect. Because what Frank did is unique in the history of Virginia Tech football. As there are reason(s) as to why it is unique.

Everyone sooooooooo sure Frank left this alleged greatness next step(s) on the O&M table in Will’s thread. I’ll take side bets right now that no coach in my lifetime tops Frank’s best 7 year run at Virginia Tech. Or wins a M.N.C. for V.P.I.

#WhatchaTalkin’boutWill(is)?

As this is to the very point of why someone has posted the same basic thread on the TSL.com pay message board, three times now, asking: “…how is Coach-Fu gonna take back the Tidewater? How will he keep the S.E.C. poachers out? Or how will he successfully, solicit four and five star outta state talent(s)?”

Again… how?

will talking bout what
H, o, w?

After all, all you need to beat little ole me, is:

  • 86 wins,
  • with 5 A.c.c. titles,
  • and/or just 1 National Championship win!

As -and make no mistake here gentlemen- that right ^there^ is the  next step measuring stick!

As everything else is somewhere in between total kitsch at best, and total bunk at worst.

How  is coach Next always the best –merely because we hired him? And how does coach-Fu objectively drain four to six keepers from the in-state Top-10 tidal talent pool, over in the 7-5-7 deep tidewater itself?

A JuCo you say? Maybe even a JuCo here a JuCo there? Aye, they’ll help, although this side of Walter Payton or Jerry Rice, how is one or even two code for enough?

So please stop telling me it could have happened (…under Frank). That’s a snow job in July, “…baby it’s cold outside…” And don’t bother telling me it Will happened under Coach-Fu, either. Unless you do bother to tell me: … how. I’m game, I’d love to learn how, pick me! Pick me! Because, why do we keep saying it will happen when we never once bother to publish how? (or did that just make too much sense?)

***

My-oh-my, my fellow Hokies, just R.A.T.T. look how far we’ve moved away from our black-n-blue your lunch money=our lunch money A.c.c. entry days. Remember that? Way back when we the Big East bully down-voted your chances to win via punching you in the face!

So one more time gent’s, be it Frank’s (alleged) Top-10 recruiting malaise or Coach-Fu’s inherited Commonwealth Top-10 recruiting funk –these could have been improved, or now need to be fixed, respectively. Okay, maybe, Will is right…

However; would someone, anyone, … please just tell me… how?

The R.A.T.T. honest to coach God truth is ... ???

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bourbonstreet=??? Will=???

LETS GO!

Hokies!

bourbonstreet**

DM Let it snow

 

19 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. I love to read and follow the posts online about our Hokies. And I appreciate “tongue and cheek” communication and especially one’s own personal style and flare in writing, but I can’t seem to understand what i’m reading from bourbonstreet. I’m very interested in what he has to say! But I guess it’s just me…

    1. 1. How did Frank leave Top-10 recruiting classes on the O&M table?
      2. How does coach-Fu fix this Commonwealth recruiting “funk”?

      Peeps just say they should have; or they will; respectively.
      And walk away. Just tell the peeps what they wanna hear.

      All I wanna hear is: ………….. “how”???

      b.street

      1. How did Frank leave top 10 classes on the table? Failed to hire someone who could produce an offense thus bringing about losses in big games initially and embarrassing O performances as the stars quit coming to VPI. Also allowed toughness to slip away and failed to grasp technology but top 10 were prob. out of play before technology became a big issue. Failed to tap full potential from a marketing standpoint, after Vick.

        How can Fu crank it back up? Keep D where it was up until the last few years. Score some points and let Shibest crank out the “hidden yardage” of special teams. That puts you back into ACC contention. Then it’s just win a few big ones instead of running off tackle and throwing the play action bomb on 3rd all game. In short, win enough and while top 10, while not in the immediate future, is eventually possible or so says Clemson.

      2. …and i say..Great question…THE question. The ONLY question…No one on TSL knows, if Frank didn’t (although you will have those who are sure they DO know more than he did)…

        I am (we are) putting all of our eggs in the basket that says Fuente CAN answer that question…He is the only one who can, or even NEEDS to…

        I SO hope JF can figure it out!

        On a side, but VERY important, note.. I wouldn’t mind getting back to being the BULLY, instead of the bullied, either…ACC Soft is what we’ve become. FSU and certainly Clemson have figured the antidote, perhaps we will too! THAT would go a hell of a long way to conquering the ACC once again…

        1. A.C.C. Soft is what we’ve become.

          If by “soft” you mean very?
          I’ll agry.

          Not every time, though 3 or maybe even 4 times outta 10?
          Me thinks a lead pipe chew glass spit nails Big East Virginia Tech could still bully all
          the very highly touted’s from Klempson and F.s.u. around the turf. As they are more
          worried about the N.f.l. than they are trading with VT on the ropes on on the middle
          of the ring in the proverbial phone booth.

          Good call out there!
          b.street

        2. Amen. Come across the middle or screen/ draw vs Foster’s men = blast-off to space mountain!!!

          On offense 8 want to see Bucky get 1-2 pass interferences this season going aggressively for the ball! Especially in jump ball instantaneous. O-linemen playing the the echo of the 2nd whistle. Hate to see O-linemen pulling pants up watching our RB/QB going to the ground. Turely believe getting attitude back w swagger earns us 2+ wins per year.

          Let’s Go…Hokies!!!
          Beat Flames then Carry the butt whoppin’ affair onto Bristol vs Vols!!!

  2. Excellent response… How?
    Al Davis knew how to rebuke the ills of losing…. Just win Baby!

    What got Beamer to his plateau was winning. He swept Jimmy 3* in state by leveraging his football network with staff stability and weekly winning, whilst other competing universities fell into losing abyss.

    Reality check, the Commonwealth produces 1 (maybe 2) top 50 prospects annually which will always be in the top 10 ranked schools recruiting boards. Key is to swept the rest. Cherry pick talent in surrounding states and prep schools.

    So enough excuses of o-line miscues, bad play calling, injuries, instability at QB, etc. Just win, baby.

    It’s just my opinion, but we lost our administration accountability edge when VT entered the ACC. That will be Weaver’s legacy and he let the Coach Beamer drift in offense. Now Our new Governor of Sports Administration, Babcock, we’ll see his legacy stamp. Nice start with Buzz, but money is not made with a round ball in college sports.

    Just win, Baby. Don’t tell me about the labour just show me the baby!!! & for football that Wins!!!

    Right now Coach JF needs to jump start this offense and either coach up, recruit or develop middle LB who can sweep. Wining will bring the state of VA & excitement in the program will allow better cherry picking across the country.

    Just win, baby, Just Win!!

    Let’s Go… Hokies!!!
    Beat Flames, then Vols!!!

    1. You’re not ‘rong ChazB.
      You seldom are in fact.

      Though is that not chicken vs. egg?
      i.e…………..as I just asked on pay side TSL.com…….how many wins does the 2016 Talent base R.A.T.T. have in it?

      Barring Evans or Lawson or someone totally freaking out, I mean.

      b.street

      p.s. I do dig that Godfather of Jumpsuits blast. Al is so right, Great coach too, real long-ball
      innovator and peeps forget that as he was such a nutty reengage G.M.

  3. yo, icy night in nova.

    buzz me, I think the hiring of coach Fu isn’t to recruit any better

    it’s to get more juice out of the talent we got?

    iz my brain frozen?

  4. It was pretty clear. Yes, there is revisionist thinking after the fact. We applauded the hiring of Newsome. We were worried as fans that UVA might get him. And the other question is a good one. We talk about not leveraging popularity in 1999 into better recruiting AND we complain about not getting people (who choose NC-winners). But few people say HOW. Hiring a kick-ass OC? Or someone at the time we think is good until they struggle and then we wonder why we hired them?

    1. Newsone was a different coach post heart attack… Work, recruiting, coaches product all declined rapidly!!!

      Looking back a graceful exit would have been fat check & stress leave of absence.

      Let’s Go…Hokies!!!

  5. If we got a class in the top 10 occasionally, I think that would be great, but that is a tall order to do consistently. I’ve always felt that we should have been able to recruit better following 1999. Specifically, I always thought we should be able to recruit on Clemson’s level. For a lot of years, they recruited way better than their performance though. I’d like to see us take a step and go to a 15th ranked recruiting class on average.

    The answer is we need to get back Virginia, and expand our territory to get enough highly rated players. In the mid 2000’s, I bet we get more of the top state prospects. I think back then, we would have gotten players like Hand and Nandi. But I think we need to cast a wider net to get enough good prospects. Maybe that is where more evaluation staff would help. It’s obviously something that we are behind in compared with the top programs.

    I don’t think it will hurt to have a young, dynamic head coach, who will hopefully embrace the role, and an athletic director that understands the dynamics of recruiting.

    I’m really looking forward to see how Feunte can do.

  6. I think the biggest possible miss is we did not change. Its different being Creed vs. being Rocky. Excellence is hard if you have never seen it and when had Frank et al ever seen it in their entire career? Where had any been where the top and only the top is the goal. Dabo for all the cracks about him had seen it – Bama and a National Championship. Reactive vs. Proactive is also a big divot in the record and then just plain complacency. Also a feeling that systems win not players and at the top level players win. Witness the recent Bama Clemson duel

    1. I did enjoy the boxing metaphor.
      Guess I needs to finally slow and and see that flick…

      …good never seen it before take.
      Yah; that does make some sense…

      b.street

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