Yes, this just in rain, is still rumored to be wet.
That and VT is South East Conference bound!
Or not so much.
Take your pick.
I realize most of you want out of the A.c.c. and into the S.E.C.
That said, after all I’ve picked up in the last 72 hours, I am sure that I am really not that sure about anything anymore as the So.Eastern Conference goes. Accordingly…
This conference expansion talk, just like all the TSL.com uniform threads, or who got their season tickets first, —all of this will eventually show itself to be true; or not so much after the aTm conference alignment meeting on Monday morning out in College Station Texas. Those things that are about to start falling are proverbially known as dominions, and they do not appear to be lined up or titled to fall in a favorable So.Eastern Exodus kinda way. At least not as of early Monday morning and the time of this writing.
Nevertheless, last time I checked it was only 20 odd days until Appy.State visits Lane for our 2011 season opener.
Ergo, it is time to get down with the get down to business and TSL.com’s business is VT football brass tacks.
Be this a S.E.C. year-1 pre-season Eye in the Sky.
Or be this an A.c.c. eighth year Eye in the Sky.
Again, take your pick…
#1. As in a new number one literally, as out goes Ricardo Young and in comes 6`6“ string bean 217 lb. walk-on Qb, #1. Or Mr. Brian Rody of Stone Bridge High School fame via Ashburn Virginia. Mr. Rody is a fairly accomplished passer (3,445 high school yards) who can move at least a little bit even it he is so thin that he is nearly transparent. In fact, on a lb. for lb. basis, he is actually thinner than Mr. Young was, and recall that Ricardo was smaller than Ty.Garland our wispy looking basketball Point-Guard. Here’s one for yah; I am told that this is a kid who basically campaigned for VT to recruit him –not the traditional or more conventional other way around. That’s a curious reversal to put it mildly. Can’t say I know of too many 30 TD and 3,445 yard career high school passers with a 6`6“ frame and a reportedly big arm who only merited D-1aa and Ivy League pigskin consideration. Mr. Rody was a winner in high school terms both on the field and in the classroom. Such could very well explain the Ivy interest; and yet still, this is a big kid with a fair to middling arm who got zero D-1 love out on the Commonwealth recruiting trail. From what I saw of him last weekend, he throws a decent enough ball; although I’m not willing to sign off on the big gun part just yet. I can also tell you that Mr. Rody merited “preferred walk-on” status from Virginia Tech, and that he has been a bit injury prone in the past. Looks to me like we’ve found our next scout-team Qb for the duration; or at least for games not named Georgia Tech.
I am still hoping that the Virginia Tech special-teams coach will give Mr. DeMatha (Michael Branthover) a look see at Punter. Michael may be short (5`8“), although he clearly had the biggest leg out on the field on Saturday afternoon. Michael might just be more parts raw Kicker than he is a pure Punter; nevertheless, he does have a combo-leg and VT might wanna dial F.E.M.A. as the VT punting position sure looks disastrous to me. (more on that in part II)
Look for the 1 or 3-step open gate instantaneous rifling throw out in the flat to our Split-End or X-Wr this year from L.T. There is no denying that L.T. has a bionic enough arm to make this thrown and simply take what the defense gives him on a hot-read for a nearly surefire 5-7 gain vs. off or sagging man-to-man coverage this season.
#68 James Brooks sure looks the part at a very squatty looking ~310 lbs. out there at right-Guard. If you are keeping score at home, that’s a gain of just about 10 lbs. for Brooksie from last season; as the one thing that he has always needed help at would be his initial push in run-blocking right at the point of attack. This extra weight is down low on his body and should only benefit any run-blocking from Mr. Brooks this year, presuming he did not give back his signature nifty footwork in the process.
I like #10, and you should too! On the opening kick-off when everyone else was jogging right along and only going ¾’s speed, #10 decided that this was as good a time as any to go live and get the party started. He did so via knocking the (blank) outta the kickoff return up-man who pinballed through the air and took out another guy on the return team as well. #10 can drink from my canteen anyway, just as soon as HokieSports.com kindly updates all of us on whom #10 actually is.
One Qb item that really stood out to me in comparative terms on Saturday, was that despite a fine closing performance to scrimmage#1 … is just how slow Ju-Ju’s wind-up -and therefore his release- truly is. Hate to say it, although a pure B.C.S. D-1 athlete Ju-Ju simply is not.
Speaking of Qb’s, L.T.’s misses are nearly entirely in one of two places. Either high on throws that still sail on him, or our in front when he leads a moving target a bit too much. That said, and to be certain: I’d rather coach a bionic arm down than a noodle arm up. The key here is that early on there will be no real game-film to break on L.T. and subsequently no real tendencies to nail down. However, by the time October rolls around, a savvy enough Free-Safety and or Secondary Coach will see this and take advantage of the same –unless this location based malady is cleaned-up sooner rather than later.
#86 Tight End Eric Martin left the scrimmage with his left-arm in a sling as he impacted Worsham Field at a very oddball angle early-on in scrimmage number one. Sources say that this is an acromiod-clavicular injury which is the tactile divot that you feel at the end of your collar-bone.
Jeron Gouveia-Winslow had one excellent play early on, during a striking TFL (tackle for a loss) along the press box sideline; and then he did very little after that. Ditto Tweedy who I never saw do much of anything at all. That said, I am told that Whip firmly belongs to #43. So let us at least hope #43 can eliminate all of the big-(bad) plays from last year, which would be a marked improvement from last season; even if he is not yet ready to actually make plays this year on his own.
Via sure looks like the starting right-Ot to me until DeChris does get back, and he sure looks like the starting right-Ot
to me for next year as well. As Painter’s footwork makes concrete boots seem like Dr. School’s insoles. The poor guy sure looks the part, and he is not a bad drive-blocker when he does engage upstairs. That said, Vinston moves very poorly in space as there are trees out in the surrounding Jefferson National Forrest that are not planted as deeply as #71’s feet. Finally, Via himself sure is a cut-up looking Ot-Center and if need be back-up Guard utility offensive lineman. This kid could have a career in body-building if he keeps this up.
Have to say, I was amazed, and rather beleaguered to see L.T. get some work with the 2’s on offense on a play that saw L.T. flushed from the back-side pocket (see: pic) whereby L.T. was left running for his life down the visitor’s sideline for what would have been approximately a 5-yard gain. As far as I am concerned, nothing short of the Gold Standard will do for L.T. Gold jersey, gold helmet, gold pants and gold shoes with extremely explicit instructions that if anybody lays a finger on him there are off the team for keeps. Be further aware that L.T. was sacked 5-6 very legitimate times during scrimmage number one when his cup or pocket folded up like a cheap suit around him. Yes, Gayle and Collins are downright nasty pass-rushers; and the VT run-blocking was better for both the 1’s and at times the 2’s during scrimmage number one. That said, pass-blocking is left wanting which has left me wondering just what kinda chin L.T. truly has? As somebody will check L.T.’s whiskers before the month of September ends.
Battle tore up his left-A.C.L. for the second time in basically 13 months, more or less early on in the scrimmage after making a nifty penetrating stop in the backfield during the second series of play. When I saw Virginia Tech orthopedic surgeon extraordinaire, one Dr. Marc Siegel personally escorting Battle off the field and into the X-ray/Imaging room I knew that his knee had taken a turn for the worse. God Bless Kwamaine who will now get to undergo his fourth, yes, and his fourth major surgery for good ole V.P.I. Poor kid, if not for bad-luck K.Battle would have no luck at all and here is wishing him good luck with the rest of his life or a seventh year of playing time should he elect to risk it.
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One of several new looks I saw would be the utilization of one #33, Chris Drager as a pseudo H-back who can pull and trap-block like a mother. Chris ain’t small, although he ain’t the worlds largest Te playing De and now playing Te again version of a now full-time Tight-End. Chris is however very well built and he dang sure ain’t contact shy as we found out in the third segment of the scrimmage.
So.Eastern Conference Update:
As of 11:09pm on Sunday nite, the S.E.C. had (allegedly) chilled out on the prospect(s) of adding aTm at this time. As of 11:09am, who the hell knows what will be the latest tag-line to a story line that has more ups and downs than channel 596 on Direct TV. So let’s talk turkey as I’m shooting as straight as I can with you on the following three bulleted points:
- I still have a tough time believing that the rumored S.E.C. interest in Vah.Tech was genuine or sincere.
- Conversely, even if bullet point number-one is lying like a rug, I have a very very very difficult time reckoning how Doc Steger and the Virginia Tech B.O.V. (board of visitors) would have ever approved any supposed S.E.C. offer in the first place due to fiscal University and campus wide bottom line reasons which are most handsomely associated with the A.c.c. revenue stream.
- See those previous two bulleted points? Those previous two bulleted points and¢50 will get you a little less than half a cup of proverbial coffee, a little more than 1/7th of a gallon of gasoline, and just enough credibility to make due until this whacky expansion paranoia fueled story-line swerves right when it should have swerved left around dead-mans curve.
The very latest dirt I have scraped up under my fingernails says that this expansion madness still has a pulse and that the situation is very much fluid indeed. Some would have me say that that pulse is thready, at least in 2011 terms; and some would have me amp up the defibrillation paddles as the very next twist or turn in this realignment scenario could prove shocking indeed.
In strategic terms, I do expect that where there is this much expansion smoke, there is bound to ultimately be some realignment fire; as the S.E.C. talking-heads sure seem to have a burning desire to expand. I do expect that So.Eastern Conference expansion will (eventually) take place, I can only hope that it is not until 2012 which should give the A.c.c. and commissioner John D. Swofford time to get their coastal ducks in order; (pun intended).
(Editor’s note: I’ll be back with much more in a couple of days from scrimmage#1)
“LET’S GO!”
“HOKIES!”
b’street