Eye in the Sky: Scrimmages plural and 2011 stock market forecast:

Yes, this has indeed been a seismic week up and down the East Coast for most of you reading these very words right now.

Thank God, as something like this could have been much much worse.

Just ask the Derring Hall seismograph pictured on the right; which looks bad enough as the S-wave of amplitude shows.

Shew!

On top of all of that, there are more expansion vibes leaking out of College Station as aTm is set to trigger a major conference B.C.S. shake-up all by its ownself.

That said, let’s shake a leg and get on with this Eye in the Sky before game-week #1 and the #2 D-1aa ranked Appalachian Mountaineers get here.

VT has a few kinks left to work out, and not a whole helluva a lotta time to coach a handful of back-up’s up and get them game-ready just in case they are needed when the regular season chips get big and blue.

Further, VT has had a couple of guys whose services need to be recovered in order to get them out onto the 2011 August Camp practice field so that they can get back into synch with the rest of the team. The back-up Qb situation needs to be sorted out; and Bud Foster just flip-flopped Whitley over to Rover and Exum over to Free-Safety. Indeed, the 2011 Virginia Tech depth-chart may have a few more shake ups left in it.

Watch for #20 Jayron Hosely off the edge on any P.A.T. or F.G.A. block situation. Twenty has a knack for timing a kick just right and he certainly gets there in a hurry.

Six passes thrown to VT Fb’s during scrimmage#2; five of which were caught. Followed up by three more attempted throws to VT Fb’s during the closed nod-nod, wink-wink; final scrimmage of the year. Go fig’ on that one folks. I am curious if this was simply a “show”: a freebie give-away that means nothing during the Regular Season. Or an actual tell: something we will really use and therefore something we really needed to simulate at real live game-speed. Time will tell.

Along similar lines, a Lebron James sized Pivot or Qb sure does make the above mid-range Fb throws easier to even attempt, much less complete. When you stand 6`6“ and change and therefore accordingly enjoy a Klitschko esque 80-something inch wingspan you really should be able to throw over the top of any normal Linebacker coverage drop with ease. Yes, the 2011 Virginia Tech offensive play-calling will morph a bit courtesy of O’Cain pet-plays, tendencies and greater use of the mid-field along with one or two extra home-run throws per game. However, things will also change when your Qb goes from Point Guard to Small-Forward sized over the summer as L.T. can get throws off that Tyrod Taylor -through no fault of his own- simply could not even bother to attempt. Size matters. Be that in the low-post or in the bedroom or in the cup as a more traditional pseudo pocket Qb goes.

Curious depth-chart move of the summer:………..is there a baller blowing up any more than #57 Telvion Clark has during August Camp 2011? Two schools of thought apply here:

• stay with the hot hand, and play whomever is playing the best regardless of former depth-chart alignment and regardless of when the initial starter gets well soon
• or……..some revert back to the initial starter once the initial starter is well enough to play –no matter how great the back-up is doing in the meantime

Looks like Bud is gonna side with the later and start the former or initial ‘backer; one #27 Tariq Edwards over the breakout ball of this year’s August camp, Mr. Clark. That tells you something about twenty-seven, don’t it?

Caught a subtle whiff of a 4×4 or so-called Forty-Four look from Bud Lite this summer with our Rover (now Whitley) cheating up into a nearly linear alignment with our traditional Linebackers. The 44-defense is said to be a thinking man’s defense know for its disguises and masquerading approach to pass coverage and hidden pre-snap mix-n-match blitz packages. Such is also a heavy run-fighting defense with eight men in the box at all times. That sound like anybody you know? Perhaps a run first head coach and his defensive coordinator who is known nationwide for his bait-n-switch approach to disguised pass coverage(s) galore.

Too two bad on the injury to #67 M.Via this summer; God Bless on that as sixty-seven was playing a much more physical game during August camp. Just ask Perez-Means who had several rows with Via as both guys really got after one another this summer on the right-hand edge of the offense. Those of you wondering if Painter is finally ready to contribute will get your answer soon enough as Via has damaged his left A.C.L this year as opposed to the partial tear he suffered in his right-A.C.L. last year. If you see any depth-chart movement, or if you see DeChris fall over from exhaustion -as conditioning will be an issue with him early on- you will have your negative feedback loop of an answer. At Center I would like to see Farris get a few more shotgun reps under his belt as he did have trouble with the shotgun pass to Leal at times this summer. Some kids are like that as they never really came up in a high school system that snapped the football to a Qb not under Center.

Watch for a bit more blitzing off of the Slot-Wr this year from the VT Fs or Rover. Recall as well that this is a better disguised blitz that does not require much if any cheating towards the Qb pre-snap because blitzing off of a Y-receiver puts the defender at least a handful of yards closer to the Qb to begin with.

Don’t wanna hit this one too hard as this was a sensitive area this time last year when someone called the VT Whip 11^th outta 11. That said, Whip is prolly still eleventh in a defensive race to eleven; albeit it an elevated or Swiss eleventh if you will. What do I mean by that? Right now I am hoping that Whip is a neutral position that if nothing else, no longer gives up such frenetic big plays to an opposing offense this season. If “G.Dub” (Winslow) can just avoid such gutting 2010 mistakes this time out, our Whip Linebacking will improve in no small play. Whip could very well still be 2012+ removed from again making plays or making things happen. However, I’ll take just breaking even at Whip and call the whole thing off after last year which is precisely what one tackle in the final scrimmage from the Whip spot combined suggests to me.

One thing I like about #76, one David Wang is his ten-gallon head. This kid is the prototypical bowling-ball shaped Guard and he should be no less than a very low to the ground two year starter for Virginia Tech at worst. This kid is gonna be a keeper, it’s not a matter of if; it is a matter of when.

Interesting decision should the Holmes r-shirt take for the entire season. If you have been marooned on a deserted desert island, or if you have just washed up from one and asked me to describe #31 Michael Holmes to you: thirty-one is a Dooley era Tb to me. What do I mean by that? He’s a ground gainer who is nearly all parts substance sans much in the way of style or flash. The last time I checked 3 + 4 + 3 again still equals 10 or a first down for Virginia Tech. That’s the Holmes kid in a nutshell as he is a chain mover who will get you 9oo rushing one year and just over a thousand or so the next. Holmes runs patiently, with great vision and an underrated north-south burst that rarely gets stopped for negative yardage. I’ll be curious to see if this r-shirt sticks if something God forbid did happen to my boy D.Wilson early on.

On the tough side of the slate we have the mega cruel and unforgiving misters otherwise known as football itself. Such has robbed one #52 Barquell Rivers of most of his former ability to suddenly stop, change direction and get back up to speed without dragging his blown out quadriceps tendon like a peg leg down the field. Fiddy-two could prolly play well enough in short-yardage or goaline heavy run-fighting situations where he can play singularly via moving forward without having to change directions east-west, much less where he would have to reverse his course. Otherwise, you almost have to look for an opponent to iso’ him in pass coverage on any version of a double move pass route as ‘Quell will have nothing better than an unfortunate time keeping up.

Accordingly, don’t ever forget just how much all of these kids willing scuttle themselves just to play the game.

Any contact sport demands a whole helluva a lotta outta the human body and that is exactly what our kids willingly give to all of you.

Retiring coach Frank Beamer is what? The best VT football coach, ever. The nicest person to coach VT football, ever. The kinda coach that will never ever come again. d. all of the above. View Results  Loading ...

Offensive Expectations: (HOLD)
Barring injury to Logan Thomas or perhaps even more importantly to my boy David Wilson, I expect the 2011 VT offense to rank right in vicinity of 41^st, which is where they were last year. The oLine play will be better because run-blocking is noticeably better with a dash of extra depth to go along with it. The Wr’s are all grown up and they are playing in their contract-seasons –no problems there. David Wilson is a U.S.D.A. prime-cut stud as an all-round yardage gainer and medium-shot Heisman Trophy candidate goes. And then we come to the Messiah in cleats otherwise know as #3 or Qb1, Mr. L.T. This segue me nearly into the bottom section; so hold that thought for a moment or three.

Defensive expectations: (BUY)
I’m not saying buy a whole helluva a lot as defensive shares go in Bud Lite right just yet; that’s still a year off according to my depth-chart maths. That said, they will be better than a 64^th ranked run-stuffing unit last year and they will be better than the 52^nd stop-unit overall was last season. However, they too, just like the VT offense is at Qb and at Tb, are perilously thin at Fs and Rover. Not to mention Dt where you are precisely two plays away from having two true-freshmen man the A-gaps as best they can should something happen to either of the Hopkins brothers.

Special Teams: (SELL)
Cody Journall is gonna miss more FGA’s this year than any other VT Kicker has in about 5 years give or take. That is not to say that he will be bad, or even average, it is however to say that he will be a bit erratic as the season wears on. Punting will be moderate this season which is actually something of an improvement of sorts over having your 3-step Flanker handle the hidden tenet of Beamerball otherwise known as field-position all year long. However a moderate punting season is a downgrade from last season which results in a (SELL) grade overall for the 2011 special-teams.

Season Outlook:
Yes, the O&M chips are yet again falling in place for another ballistic VT run when it comes to the macro-Atlantic Coast environment itself. Thanks to so much Coastal Division trouble during Hurricane season down in Miami and similar NC2A woes at U.N.C.; whereas we see a Gah.Tech football team that appears to be seasons plural removed from flexing their Coastal muscle once again. That said, what I really wanna talk about is Turnover Margin which will tie my offensive expectations from above.

Last year Virginia Tech finished #1 in Turnover Margin nationwide which sure covered a much flatter tasting version of Bud Lite v.2010. Recall that Fosters stop-unit was prone to giving up numerous big plays, while finishing first at +1.36 to the good in Turnover Margin last season. This year I am forecasting a drop in completion percentage, a hike in interception percentage, and less defensively intercepted turnovers with Hosely now manning the much more physical Field-Cb position. Further, I am concerned by the pass-coverage abilities out of our second-layer straight across which may not yield as many home-run plays, although it could see an increase in singles and doubles as the year wears along. On top of that mix in a shanked punt or two at a critical time and a late game swing of the leg miss, and suddenly you have artificially lowered O&M ceiling for 2011.

Or in other words, if/when L.T., David Wilson, Exum, Whitley and the Hopkins brothers all remain locked and loaded for 13-14 full games apiece, there is no way in the world that our much ballyhooed 10-win streak should finally go: “snap”.  Negative, not happening g.rider, our 10 win pattern is full.

The key of course is found in forecasting critical O&M health at the Qb, Tb, Fs, Rover, and Dt’s spots alike with a Turnover Margin that almost certainly has to drop off a bit from being #1 in 2010. Right now I am seeing a 10-4 or 10-3 kinda season overall, depending upon whether or not you forecast Virginia Tech to make the A.c.c. championship game and a subsequent harder bowl game or not. If those six critically thin positions remain locked and loaded for the duration, go ahead and side with the counterintuitive 10-2 regular season forecast as Virginia Tech will make the A.c.c title game only to be beaten by a Florida State football team and subsequently beaten by more mature and less sophomoric team defensively in a bigger bowl game ending the 2011 campaign at 10-4 when it is all said and done.

If you think one or more of those dangerously thin positions could regretfully get nuked, go ahead and side with a 9-3 Virginia Tech to just barely miss the A.c.c title tilt while subsequently playing in a much more winnable first or second-tier bowl game and therefore finishing at 10-3 with a post-season win.

Make no mistake people, this is a very good looking 2011 Virginia Tech football team right now on paper with everybody healthy that is facing a relatively mild looking 2011 football schedule overall. It is also however a very very sophomoric Virginia Tech football team at Qb, Kicker and in defensive terms alike. All of that inexperience conspires to tell me that this 2011 Virginia Tech football team is about a full year of maturation, plus a senior season David Wilson return removed from being great. Or nothing less than 100% good health at no less than six critical 2011 positions away from being great. Take thy pick.

“LET’S GO!”

“HOKIES!”

b’street