Virginia Tech football thoughts…

Virginia Tech football has had its itinerary of 2016 seasonal players report to campus, check-in, and get weighed up.

Tech is set to kick off August Training Camp on Thursday as R.A.T.T. preparations begin in full for coach-Fu’s debut or inaugural season of Hokie football. Per always and ever single time that I can recall, there were a few guys who came correct and reported to camp in noticeably better cardio and pulmonary shape than before. Three cheers and a Hokie hurrah for them! And yet there (seemingly) were no really discernible guys going physically backwards, or guys going to one too many keg parties this summer or for one too many trips to momma bear’s the home-cooked fridge’. I for one find that refreshing indeed; to the point of being unique. to the point of being, stunning! As in heretofore never ever seen before; so let us caucus and take a closer look at some of the more interesting weigh-in and strength and conditioning results and see what we can gleam and just what all of this renewed emphasis on what they are calling: “Turbo Fitness” might just, mean…

Our back-up Mike-Lb or Mister Sean Huelskamp going out and finding sum 21 lbs. of to weigh in at 222 lbs. of mass overall, is nearly, shocking. Need to get some eyes on this one folks; although here’s hoping this one finally got his trick knee (all) right and was therefore able to take the next strength and conditioning step, or in this case I should probably type: “steps” as in plural; as this has been a pretty lean to raily looking MLb since he arrived. So I got to admit, I’m pretty dang curious to see what Sean brought back?

Likely JuCo up and coming Qb1, the other #4, or one Jerod Evans reporting at 32 oz. off of an even 240 lbs. I’d really like to see. I really hope he did not go back to wearing his Tajh Boyd off-season look… Why? Because he looked better and was more electrifying to end the spring; once he cut a good 10-15 lbs. when his overall game, and not coincidentally, his overall trade-craft of what jocks ubiquitously call confidence, really took off to end spring practice. This guy is way too important to do anything less than show up in e-lite fighting shape. And if this is less than right-mass? He may have just taken the wedge outta the Motley door. Though make no mistake, j.Evans went from looking a bit, well, somewhere between flabby and weak to looking pretty good at the of April. So he could have just as easily hung 10 good lbs. as he reconditioned and more athletic frame had noticeable room to piously carry more sinew. As he left spring ball looking noticeably fitter, though not necessarily noticeably stronger or more cut up; like he had shed his t.Boyd baby-fat; finally and needed to take one more S&C step. “Time is the greatest critic of all.” -George Burns- and time will tell.

Likely all-A.c.c. and possibly next level candidates, or Wr Isaiah Ford and the rotund though loaded with twice-backed Ng next level potential Tim Settle; basically swapping about 18-20 lbs. is impressive, as in very! Looks like Ford found what Settle cut. And seeing #97 at a (relatively) mere 327 makes one wonder… who are you and what have you done with Tim Settle?!?

My almost boy Raymond Minor -another: Shegog, to put it in one word of six letters or less- coming in at a sprite looking 231 lbs. is a good sign. As the whispers say he finally started to make a move late spring; and that he made more than a little move in off-season voluntary-mandatory training this summer. Minor is a pure jackknife totally serrated baller. I like what he and Shegog all physically all about; as they are materially what we’ve been missing for several seasons. Now we just gotta install a quality WW II B-17 signature Norden Bombsight and help keep Minor’s cerebral Ginsu game on target.

ex-Qb now turned Te maybe turning more H-back, or one Chris Durkin is down to a pretty trim looking 223 lbs., and this is rather interesting. 223 at nearly 6’5” in height do not an in-line blocking Te make. In particular for a guy who seems to like -if not thrive upon- physical contact itself. Leaving one very curious to see where this kid lines up, on this noticeably sleeker frame?

Is Sam Rodgers a true home-position Fb? Yes. Do we deny this? No. However, he sure does not look like many Fullbacks that I’ve ever know. As you probably have to go back to Marcus Parker on two good knees to find someone this dynamic; as Sam might actually be a modern-era true H-back trapped inside a glossary of a Fb’ s nomenclature. Just ask his sideline spin move vs. “the” Oh.State, or ask this pic. As this is one vastly, and I do mean, vastly underrated pure athlete playing the traditional battering-ram spot of Fb itself. Hence I like to think of Sam as more parts highlander claymore and less parts traditional hammerhead belly-play cudgel. Watch Sam surprise more than a few opponents this autumn with way more moves than a Fb should rightfully deploy.

Tb Marshawn Williams now down a good 20+ lbs. to a somewhat more reasonable 227. This mind you is still close to a 25 lb. plate above where he campaigned as a true leaping aerial runner in scholastic terms –although this too a a move in the salubrious direction.

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Anyone else noticing who our new Holder on P.A.T.’s and F.G.A.’s is? They say he is the Qb in basketball terms or the Point Guard turned Wide Receiver turned place-kick Holder; or one #89, Devin Wilson. Who is precisely four weeks deeper into his collegiate place-kick holding career than either you or me. Which tells us that we are very lean on full time regulation holders –as this will not add to Wilson’s reppin’ it up at Wr, or this kid must have truly great hands; as you do not get to field the pass from the snapper unless you do have great hands. Very very curious to see this kid spotting the laces forward and holding with just enough tilt with the 1’s or for the strong like bull F.G.-Kicker one Joey Slye.

Talk about being fully weaponized, –as someone predicted –talk  about being a nearly 6’8” Gatlin Gun on offense. Talk about the biggest “WOW! Who’s that?” look since the days of Kam Chancelor lowering the legion of boom on the Virginia Tech practice fields and you are now officially talking about 244 lb. and nearly 6’8” or basically the LeBron James in cleats sized Bucky Hodges. As this is one fit fitter fittest looking Te when you see how narrow Bucky has tightened his abdominal-core in an effort to get to the next level. Be that Sundays or runways as Bucky might could turn professional model if he wants to when all is said and done.

Do wanna point out that for all his pure great looking athletics, and pure potential, the returning Devon Alexander, does need a better proximity alarm. As someone noticed he tends to play with an in-line drift to his coverage in that he overruns the throw, be that north-south on a vertical pass or east-west on a horizontal pitch-n-catch. Just ever so slightly loosens his contact quotient. That said, at lest he won’t be getting beat long on home-run throws too often, although if he can just learn to stay just a little closer, for a little longer, once the ball is in the air? Everything else is in place to (eventually) become a dynamic play-maker at Cb; and I do mean everything.

6’5” 3o8 lbs. of Wyatt Teller!?! Did he actually, somehow, get even, stronger?!? That’s just crazy and he sure carries his American Electric Powerhouse voltage; well. This guy is Fort Teller on two feet or a one man casus belli just looking for a place to happen and he is probably a Pro’. And with a banner r-junior season…

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your August O&M Qb derby primer:

Here is how someone would compare and contrast the two would be starting Qb1’s…

• Brenden Motley: 6’4” 230 lb. r-senior; to me, is a like an Eric Chapman+ (plus); albeit it with a bit more of everything everything across the Pivot board. At bit more developed physically than Eric ever was; probably fields the deepest arm on campus since “Booooooone” was still chucking them from the Qb spot. Don’t believe me? Just ask Purdue. Although still the same kinda Chapman ‘esque needs to roll left or right and therefore create a line-of-scrimmage east-west stretch in order to be most effective as a Qb. Not a bad passer, not a pure pocket guy same as Eric. Was the more consistent Qb on the balance during spring drills. With a bit more north-south rushing threat-power than Eric had.

• Jerod Evans: 6’3”, 238 lb. junior; can be more dynamic than Motley; albeit it less even in terms of consistency during spring practice overall. Did improve both his fitness and his caliber of play as the spring wore on. Evans excels in particular on Qb keepers once he breaks contain out in the open field or ad-libbing to purchase more time laterally in the pocket. Evans has move moves than his surgical repaired medical file (knee and wrist) would suggest However with less pure arm strength than Motley has. Best qualifier I know here is j.Evans is basically a Bryan Randall+. Or a Randall with bit more juice both throwing and rushing; with more quicks and a few more cuts and shakes as well.

Virginia Tech=30 ‘ish shopping days until a Liberty weekend pass!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**

V.A.D.A. approve