Tech Thoughts: … your spring practice primer part I

#aFreshVTCoachingStartBeginsNOW

Coach-Fu’s very first Virginia Tech football spring practice has sprung!

JustinCREDIBLE!
JustinCredible!

So which Hokie ballers might just grow up?

Which Hokie ballers might just blow up?

As there are some feelers and vibes to be heard behind the O&M scenes in what is an otherwise limited access or fully sequestered and debuting coach-Fu spring practice.

At least as coverage goes so  far.

So let us see what we can riddle out, and take a look at some potentials, some talents, and even one question mark and see what falls out when we shake the O&M answer tree this Spring.

Moore is the new less?
As in more playing time for 6’5” 3o8 lb. V.H.T. (very highly touted) offensive-Tackle transfer Demetri Moore: is code for less playing time for everyone else? Could be. As a little birdie has heard that Staff is very curious to see if this guy will contribute right away, or possibly even start at one of our two Ot positions. (as the whispers say that incumbent Ot  Jonathan McLaughlin is a more comfortable right or even side player. As some guys are perfectly left or right sided just like that. Happens…

So someone has to man the blind-side Ot spot. The towering 6’8” 298 lb. though still De converting t-sophomore Yosuah Nijman is right there –and aye, Yosuah has found a smart looking 25 lbs. since he became a agile and 7′ reach sized Ot. And so is the still developing or likewise still converting Mister Moore. I say still developing, because Demetri was a high school basketball star who only took up the bombastic sport of football for his senior scholastic campaign. He played one, that’s uno season of football prior to going to junior college at Mississippi Delta C.C. (Moorhead, Ms.). Wow!

That caveat firmly in place… someone liked what they saw upon breaking tape on Mr. Moore. As he brings the following Mississippi metrics with him to mighty Virginia Tech…

#77 ain't no softie post-play!
#77 ain’t no softie post-play!
  • he plays the odd or left-side, so there is no flip-flop conversion or bassackwards that need apply.
  • he’s cat quick! And by that I mean he is at least Te quick; as that is what his first-step looks like as it sure does not look like that of your middle of the aisle Ot.
  • Started every game at left tackle for MS Delta as a true freshman up through last season. Even -1 in football nomenclature or hierarchical ranking of levels, that’s still pretty impressive. So that’s two seasons as Delta’s starting blind-side or left-hand Ot right there.
  • moves very well and stays engaged longer than most in run-support downfield in space. Takes a pure aggressor tomahawk mind, with great feets and a wound up core to do this folks. Lottsa old-school “hip roll” to Moore’s game men.
  • very handy guy. Prolly gonna draw a few stickler holding penalties that may or may not be a fist full of numerals. Although he does get his hands on you (superior reach) before you can get your hands on him; and make no mistake, he has very strong hands/forearm-flexors. And it’s a Game of Thrones or control once he does lay hands on you.
  • has a wider than average base or heel-to-heel split. Although that’s okay in this case, as he is dexterous enough to get away with it, as agility from hoops is clearly his thing. Does play with a low road-grader look, and that’s a surefire sign of a very strong backed kid.
  • per those hands and reach, a naturally talented envelopment or engulfing blocker. Coach Stacy would have liked this one.
  • Does play a little high pad-level wise in pass-protect. Though generally his feets and nimbility will buy time for that.
  • Is from Mississippi, might as well be from the 1970’s Oaktown Raiders. Has a little Otis Sistrunk and Art Shell in his game; as Mister Moore plays mean at times; and may draw a personal-foul flag or three. Though in some ways?  I’m okay with that, as I for one find that to be refreshing indeed.
  • Caveat: ALL of the film-study here was vs. JuCo De’s. None of which is code for F.s.u. or Clemson bookend talents. Nevertheless, so far, so good. As there is a lot to like here and it is a shame that we only only have Mr. d.Moore for two seasons as he is prolly 3-4 additional seasons away from his collegiate ceiling –due to such a tardy scholastic gridiron start itself.

Ergo, to wit, accordingly… I do like where Moore + Nijman + McLaughlin places us at Ot. As these MM&N’s make us a credible three-deep at Ot with no less than a possibility for at least three at least fringe level Pro’s. Been a long while since the Hokie oLine edges could rightfully say that.

(UPDATE: and yet, Moore started out at right-side Ot and McLaughlin began as left-side or blind-side Ot this week, with Nijman getting more even or right-side reps; so there you go!)

Mike-Linebacker: same as it ever was?
Could be; as the vibes seem to suggest that Bud Foster is entering the spring via standing pat with his much maligned MLb or one #54 Andrew Motuapuaka. As Bud and company surely do love their Tuaman. However, is their love, …blind?

Well, for starters, Andrew did get a bit better in the final month of 2015; before the entire stop-unit nearly went Duck Pond belly up vs. trigger happy Tulsa offense in the Bowl game. However, “better” than what you rightfully ask as “better” is a very relative term, at least in this particular case. So here goes the old-school R.A.T.T. in me, and you P.A.T.T.’s might wanna buckle up…

Well, for starters, “better” than where he was late in 2014; and mutually better than where he was pre-knee injury in 2015.  Though how much better was he and better than what to begin with you adroitly ask?

Is this his ceiling? It's a fair question...
Is this his ceiling? It’s a fair question…

The Eye in the Sky don’t lie. Their play is their narrative.  As the Tuaman collision hit and played/tackled better in space at the close of 2015 business. He played more aggressively and with more confidence. Hell, he even made a few BIG and game changing plays. Just ask Duke.

And yah; the next time the Eye sees him punk a G-c-G attempting to drive-block him will be the first; although that does not mean that some elements of  his game did not improve. Or as coach Foster put it, “get better”. Though better than what? Well, better than being an F+++ Mike-Lb which was basically his 2014 debut when attempting to give chase in lieu of Mr. Williams as a personal performance low-water mark. And do make no haterade mistake here my friends, all the way up to the lowest-possible C+ in November of 2015, when someone thought he came back to football at least a full week too early from a very tricky looking sprained (M.c.l.) or medial collateral ligament in his left knee, is a pretty dang fair climb. Not to mention ‘drew is still lugging around his surgically repaired right scapula (shoulder bone). Or to put it another way, not many college ballers move 2 full letter-grades in their pigskin career. In nine games and change, ‘drew wrapped up 66 total tackles with 10 T.F.L., 3 sacks last year; and he has 18 total points off of 2 INT career returns for six {sic: 6 points} and one fumble return taken to the house for the same. There is something very  likeable about that, something very Tongan nose for the ball, ‘esque.

Thing is, and to me this is the real live bugbear or catch-44 here men… what if Andrew is right at his NC2A ceiling, right now? As he’s just not that big of a guy. Narrow, in a word, in particular for a guy who has to run-fight G-c-G internal trifectas that have the full 60+ lb. weighing in advantage of him in the middle. Still yet, he did improve somewhat at the end of 2015, and how many Foster Mike-Lb’s were all that and a snap as a r-sophomore thrown into the fire prolly a year or possibly even two seasons premature? Not many this side of Vince Hall to be sure. So what I’m hoping for is more incremental improvements, more mental game-plan development and maybe by 2017 ‘drew can shed a few roughhouse internal blocks. Maybe…

p.s someone heard more than one whisper -which visual evidence seemed to support- that c.Lydon was not in elite fighting trim last year. There are views that seem to paint a somewhat gutty pic’, and there are others that look like he could use some northern hemisphere or body-shop Hilgirth arm work. Ergo, it will be most interesting to see what our new amped up version of S&C has done for #44. Because if Lydon does not sit the Tuaman down, now; …do you really think Bud is gonna sit a r-senior MLb down in 2017?

A smaller, BIG boy!
A smaller, BIG boy!

Ng is Settled!
Well, put it this way… if Ng or Dt is now Settled?

Every Virginia Tech Mike-Lb is only gonna benefit for it!


As hinted earlier… Tim Settle has Jenny Craig’ed his way down from in excess of at least 360+ lbs., down to, a leaner more robust, more stout looking -at least for him- 344 lbs. at the dawn of spring practice 2016. That’s quite a cut if you are keeping score at home… as my 36 hours of calc’ and stats avers that to be in the neighborhood of a good 20-25 lb. weight reduction in what amounts to no better than bad mass. Possibly even more than that, as some reports hinted that Settle had ballooned to ~370 late last season.

As you can see in the Smith rack photo, Tim still ain’t hurting for raw girth or pure run-plugging size. However, here is hoping that his cardio-pulmonary condition is not hurting as much as it was last autumn. As you do not amass -pardon the pun- 38 T.F.L. as a senior in high school just because you are a bum. This kid plays with a lotta jump to his game, and I’m almost wondering if the newer svelter version of Tim can now … dunk? As he is indeed an A.E.P. or powerhouse explosion based guy just like that. 35o fiddy on the bench, 600 lbs. on the back-squat, a 5.22 forty for prolly still trucking 350+ around in pads, and an absurd 31’5” power ball throw says so. So will 2020, unless Tim has professionally settled down before then. As this guy has exemplar Ng written all over him in size 72 font. Thus, making Tim the no-brainier breakout pick for spring practice 2016.

pure Specimen, 1o1...
pure Specimen, 1o1…

BUCK you!
A Bucky Hodges that does not quite fit Te position nor the Wr spot is a good thing. As a lottsa other D-1 football teams would love to have this problem.

Though what do you do with a now 6’7” 244 lb. freak in search of a true home position? Do you Te him? Wr him? Or maybe even H-back him?

***

Here’s a novel idea… I’m almost wondering if you do not make him slim down just a scosche to become an total high voltage overload Wr? (as the word here is he restructured his entire off-season regime including his entire diet with a heightened sense of film study or play-book etiquette; which strikes me as being more… “mature”, in a word)

As he sure runs like a effortless gazelle when he is in sync and having a good catch day at Te in practice; and sometimes even in-game. I just do not know that he is a Te? Or even a Wr? I do however know that Bucky is more of an overload at Wr. So are his: a 325 lb. bench press, his 400 lb. front squat, his 315 lb. power clean and his 300 lb. push jerk. Name me a Db who can move that much iron, at a legit 4.46 forty time? Thought so. And me neither.

So maybe stop worrying about #7’s neg’s and just play to his strengths. Or did that just make too, much, … sense?

Your breakout player pick for Spring Practice 2016; not named Tim Settle ... is???

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CONGRATS!
Kudos to men’s Head Basketball coach Buzz Williams and the 2015-2016 men’s basketball team on cracking the 20 win plateau and making the N.I.T.!Clapgif

And mutual kudos to the techsideline.com message board fanbase. As the TSL message boards have been  buzzin’ right along. Much more fun, much more enjoyable and therefore easier to work with. My thanks to you and to coach Buzz!

Virginia Tech=20 overall wins, Virginia Tech=10 A.c.c. wins

LETS GO!

Hokies!

bourbonstreet**

happy easter

4 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Have a great Passover and Easter Celebration to all… great insights to the Spring, one area that was not covered in depth was the competition for #2 RB….Look for Shai to make some serious noise w/ this new coaching staff. The knee is healed, he’s down in weight, cut and ready to make some noise in the running game this spring. T-Mac had an outstanding freshmen year late in the season, when the OL was working well, but McKenzie had a solid freshmen year early in the season, when the OL was terrible… meaning…. look for some noise from Shai in the running game behind the #1 OL…. Offensive Playmakers are in place, key now is the development of the QB position, get it right and we’re looking at double digit wins before ACC Championship Game….

    Mochas Grasias for B-Street’s Spring Insights.

    Let’s Go…Hokies
    Maroon vs White Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait….

    1. I’m not sleeping on D.J.Reid here, either.
      he’s a really neat combo of speed and strength.
      (though he too, may not quite have a home position)

      Shai is whatever he can still be.
      (if that makes any sense)

      http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0720/chi_hof03_800.jpg

      I just hope he is not the rebuilt g.Sayers and has to kill himself every single play just to get the job done.

      b.street

  2. Very good assessment BStreet and am certainly looking forward to the New Tackles and B. Hodges next fall. Also think at least one of the Fr. WR’s will excel.

    1. From what precious little return(s) someone has on them (Fr.Wr’s); they liked where they were; to only be 18. (that that requires more inspection; as well)

      b.street

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