Spring Fling: (scrimmage no.1, part I)

“Give a man to fish and he eats for a day.”

“Teach a man to fish……………….”
-Confucius-

Whole lotta teaching left to do after what I just witnessed on Monday afternoon down in Blacksburg Virginia folks. With the emphasis on the “whole lot” part –make no mistake on that. This offense is weeks, if not months if not games, if not October away from being right. The defense however looked pretty dang tight; and that was sans two all-A.c.c. performers (Tyler and Exum) mind you. Special Teams is really only one dynamic punter away from being right. As the new Jenny Craig (i.e. slimmer) Cody is also an all-A.c.c. caliber kicker, and the return game enjoys speed to burn.

Ergo, if scrimmage No.1 taught us anything, it taught us that … this year is all about the Virginia Tech offense. It also taught us our word for the day… as today’s word is: under.

un·der  (ndr)prep.

Odds and Ends:
A fun little place-kicking deal was watching the Kicker(s) line up perpendicular to the crossbar and attempts to kick the football into the nearest upright! Talk about a slim margin of error, how about slim and none and none just left town. That’s a 2-3/8″ target if you are keeping score at home. Good luck on that to all of you would be  backyard warriors.

Also of curiosity was seeing #92 (Maddy) and #98 (D.Hop) take their warm-up chops on a couple of FG-attempts. No word yet on the validity of such; however I’ll be betting the under on that one as well.

Then there was the new N.B.A. looking groin stretch exercise which was done while in the midst of a backwards jog; of all things. You could just hear the giggling from the team on this one, and in lieu of being any more politically incorrect –than I already am- I’ll just leave the commentary to your imagination. However I will hint you this much … it was not rated PG-13 or Disney Channel savvy.

Bull in the Ring: (to begin the scrimmage)
Recall that this is a very very very truncated version of Bull in the Ring and that’s not fair to real live Braham Bull’s everywhere. However, in what I can only describe as a very watered-down Board Drill (less the board of course) we had the following pre-scrimmage match-ups take shape…

• #83 C.Meyer (back-up Wr) vs. #6 (White) some kinda back-up Db.
  Not much to see here though #6 (whose name is unlisted on the current Hokiesports football roster webpage) clearly urbanized Mr. Meyer good and hard.
• #29 (Maroon) back-up Fb, Fuller Hoepner, vs. #37 R.V.D.
  Jaw dropping as this may read, R.V.D. got dump-trucked as #29,  a Fuller Hoepner filled in on R.V.D. and wasted Ronny Vandyke. And it really wasn’t even close.
• #63 Lawrence Gibson vs. #99 James Gayle!
  “Let’s get it on!” –Hall of fame Boxing referee Miles Lane-And that is precisely what these two headhunters did! Not once, not twice, three full times of John Wayne vs. John Wayne mano-a-mano personal warfare. The first two were too close to call. Although J.Gayle did win the third and final round when he scored a knockdown as he buried all 3o3 lbs. of big ole six-three on a reverse pancake, that was closer to the home team sideline right at the end of the drill.

#16 and should prepping for his Senior Prom at high school, and yet one Carlis Parker got some reps at Wr of all things. Sources recently said that Mr. Parker: “…has a little Vick in him.” While I can not report having witnessed that, I am lead to believe that that is true and if that is the case, clearly this is a play-right-away kinda move. Such is pretty suggestive in-and-of itself and such suggests pretty good things for #16 long-term.

What did you guys think of seeing each and every Qb dressed out in a front-leg (typically the left-leg) leading edge fully hinged orange and black knee-brace? I’ve never, ever, never, ever seen a Qb Coach require that of each and every Qb in his cadre of Pivots?!? Such is inexplicable to me as you never ever hinge an otherwise perfectly useful joint, no matter how preventative this medicine may be on theoretical paper. Clearly this is a Loeffler pet move, though it is a baffling one to be sure. (p.s. tell me if you’ve ever heard of such down below: which coach and which team? TIA!)

Back-up place-Kicker #45 Brooks Abbot has a big big leg. He could make for a long-range FG attempter in a pinch as he does have range out beyond 55 yards and I’ve seen him make 60’somethings in practice off the tripod holder before. However, that low, boring line-drive approach can be blocked. Don’t believe me just ask #26 Desmond Frye who smartly snuffed out an Abbot attempt early on, on Monday. (see: above pic)

#23, Der’Woun Green had one of the more jarring downfield hits on Malleck from his Fs position early on. Der’Woun brought some wood with him at a relatively mere 5`10“ and 187 lb. termite frame. Which is quite undersized to be a big-time Fs in D-1 B.C.S. terms. Der’Woun had a history of fumble causing hits in high school and he inflicted some measure of causality on Malleck on this one indeed.

Loeffler Offense: (early X’s and O’s)

• shorter to mid-range dink-n-dunk approach to passing
• more parts 3-4 Wide and less parts Te
• (very) multiple
• very shifty or motioning pre-snap
• far more “HARD” counts (watch for opposing offsides this year)
• H-backs and Fb’s, sometimes two at a time
• Some I, some Pro, and some I/Veer hybrid or broken-T looks as well
• Chop-stepping Fb breadcrumb trails rushing plays pre-snap via cheating or shading the play L or R
• Lotta slant or downhill blocking
• ALL predicated upon the 45° jab-step to begin
• much narrower passing splits on a collapsing Cup
• Ergo, Footwork is at a premium here
• Lottsa second-layer folding into hook-turn-n-seal blocks
• Some quicker hitting Wham or Iso plays as well (WAR the return of “I-formation, 20-Dive on one, ready break!!!”)
• Tb’s split-out in the slot and then motioning back inside into an I-formation alignment, of all things

Trey Edmunds:
Is he (now) Tb1? (the starting Virginia Tech Tailback in modern football parlance)

Prolly –or in other words, I’m pretty dubious that Holmes or J.C.Coleman can ultimately beat Trey out. Why however is much more interesting; as Trey is not without attributes or flaws alike. Holmes did look a bit stronger, bigger, better running inside; to his credit. He had a bit more swivel in his hips as well; which is likewise to #20’s credit. Running J.C.Coleman inside at 177 lbs. is nearly unfair and possibly encroaching on callous at best. J.C.C., try as he might, is just not in a favorable match-up on the inside, where he routinely gives away 50 to 130+ lbs. on the inside! That may or may not be fair, though I do have the Second Law of Newtonian Mechanics on my side, just as J.C.C. does have acceleration on his side. However he simply does not have the internal rushing metrics or mass. Trey however does.

Though it is also most curious to see that Trey could easily hang 7-10 lbs. of additional right-mass on his frame; as his northern hemisphere is still a bit undeveloped in terms of winning an arms-race on the inside. Nevertheless, and make no mistake about it, Trey is our best inside-runner, not named LT3. Trey is also tall. As he runs in a very erect posture and blocks in the same. This is somewhat reminiscent of Eric Dickerson and that reads pretty dang good if you ask me. However, if you query me even further, that very same high-in-the-saddle approach will eventually get Trey decked on the inside. And he really does need to learn how to get lower and use a pretty fair to middling sized frame in pass-protection where he is almost malleable or way too reactive in terms of letting the contact come to him. That’s not a posture becoming such a right-sized Tb. Trey however did carry the football with a much greater sense of classical 3-points urgency; sans the 2012 chicken-wing looking carries way out away from his stomach/latissimus dorsi. So that’s encouraging as his pigskin integrity has most definitely improved. As methinks that one man turnover margin just begging to happen, and a moderate lack of play-bock acumen is what caused him to be fitted for a r-shirt last season. Additionally, Trey did amass at least 20 odd Y.A.C. or yards after contact on Monday down in the New River Valley. As Trey got through several holes that were really only seams and several seams that were no better than cracks –all on his very own. The final matter that I find rather intriguing about Trey is that he is the veritable anti-thesis of so-called “game-speed”. Some guys may not clock all that fast in the 40-yard dash though they are fast enough on game-day. Cyrus Lawrence of early 1980’s Chicago Maroon fame leaps to mind. Trey however is basically the exact opposite; as the next time I behold his virtually team leading 4.37 forty-yard dash time in-game or at a scrimmage will be the first.

Now, do be sure, our 2013 running game will almost assuredly improve because of Trey Edmunds; the only real question is just how much?

Qb or not to Qb, that is the (Te) question:
Unless you live under a rock, or have very recently been hit in the head by a rather large rock; there was no question who was the better Virginia Tech Qb on Monday afternoon in Lane Stadium. I’ll give you a hint, it was not LT3.

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 When I was walking out with one of my sources someone who looked a lot like me actually remarked: “…in a lot of ways, LT3 just picked up right where he left off in 2012.” Basically as a spray-paint can of a Qb; albeit it one with the addition of the ability to throw a so-called “hanger” of a deep ball or one that simply hangs up in the air way too long and therefore gives the defense time to break on the ball. LT3 was however a bit less inaccurate on his short to intermediary throws this year compared to the Rutgers bowl game. His misses –which were numerous- were not as severe, especially when it comes to hi-lo or L-R on short to mid-range throws. His long-ball however is remarkable, as in it is remarkable how someone with that kinda raw, bionic smooth bore howitzer of an arm can underthrown, or hang-up that may passes? LT3 was better later on in the day; when his whispered bad-back (finally) began to loosen up a bit. Leal however was better all day long.

#6, Mark Leal makes good, concise, crisp reads which allows him to make the very same throws in the short to intermediary passing attack. Leal had what should have been (if not for the Umpire’s whistle) the sickest move of the day when he made a positively Earl “the Pearl” Monroe ‘esque reverse inside spin more that was CCW (or counterclockwise) of all things late in the afternoon. Some of the fans had already left the building at this point; so some of you may not have seen this; though do allow me to assure you that it was ill and that it only reaffirmed that Leal has the best pocket-vision I’ve seen outta a Virginia Tech Qb on a Virginia Tech practice field since somebody named Michael Vick.

To take that a step further, I can (finally) see why Mark Leal was none to happy with his playing-time (or lack thereof) last year. As he clearly out-played LT3 on Monday; a blind man could see it with a cane. Although it is most difficult to envision Frank Beamer approving of opening up the Qb competition, much less of ever benching LT3 in favor of Leal. No matter how the early-returns or objective results stack up thus far. Some of you will have me publish that this Auburn offense is brand new, and that LT3 and this War Eagle retread offense need more time. That’s fair enough; however is it not also fair to point out that the offense is even newer to Mark Leal who receives few repetitions as Qb2 or as the back-up Qb at Virginia Tech? See what I mean? Or in other words what I mean to say is that I’m left wondering how many more games LT3 has left at Qb (after he turns pro); that is the question?

***

     To find out we shall have to ask Russell’s Teapot to shed some light on this interrogative; even if we have to wait until this time next year to find out how all of that tastes. Recall that Russell’s Teapot is basically code for the fact, that the inability of critics to prove something wrong does not authentically prove something right in the first place. In the classical philosophical or rhetorician sense, pocket religious philosopher, one Bertrand Russell once argued “…that if he claims that a teapot orbits the Sun somewhere in space between the Earth and Mars, it is nonsensical for him to expect others to believe him on the grounds that they cannot prove him wrong.”[1]

Or in other words, LT3’s division-one quarterback critics can not be proven correct until after LT3 switches professional positions and makes an N.F.L. roster move to tight-end. In the meantime everything else is Lady Grey and therefore everything else is all wet. As there are those who believe that LT3 is a Sunday Qb every bit as much as there are those who believe that LT3 the Qb actually peaked in 2011. Mark Leal however believes that he should have been given a 2012 shot, sooner, rather than 2014 later.

To put it another way, after such an jagged close to the 2012 season, an uneven at best scrimmage no.1 was entirely what LT3 did not need. As in not at all; as LT3’s amazing physical attributes, his oversized small-forward talents and his confidence or self-trust appeared to have picked up right where they twenty-twelve left off.

(EDITORs note: MUCH more by Thursday, including the oLine, the dLine and the defense in general)

“LET’s GO!”

“HOKIES!“

bourbonstreet**