Spring Game Eye in the Sky (part I):

Raise your hand if your predicted this much appreciation in the O&M mutual fund otherwise known as Virginia Tech football during spring practice???

Me neither.

And I have to remark, this bullish Hokie market was most refreshing indeed.

And it surely came at the right time; after two no better than HOLD rated seasons of gridiron middleorcity; at least via courtesy of previous Vah.Tech 10-win standards.

The offense opened Starkly this spring and the defense finished Needling good (Game of Thrones reference insert here); check. I call that coaching; however, the key question is … which side improved all the more?

Let’s find out, per always, together… after a F5-keystroke or most refreshing spring!

1Q: Kickoff
Really like the pairing of Newsome and Mangus as KO Return guys go folks. One of them will (eventually) house a return for 6 before the season ends; possibly both of ’em. Lottsa movement and plenty of speed in those four combined KO returning legs; even if they are a bit big-play needy at times, which could cut into their return averages overall as it is not difficult at all to envision these two forgoing singles and doubles to swing for the fences and go all out for the long-ball or HR return.

1Q play #1: 6-2 Budweiser v. Broken-Veer offset great Scot
Very vanilla broken-Veer off-tackle odd or left side hand-off on the iso carry to the short-side of the field, though this was actually the strong-side of the formation. Joel Caleb -my almost boy- misses a decent enough looking 3-hole and inexplicably cuts this one up inside through the nothing happening stacked up 1-hole, one gap closer to the Center. Accordingly, not much to see here as our Inside-Linebacking twins inside-scraped to the play well enough, and the ‘backer actually made the stop after Chase chased this one, one gap too far. However, further notice the completely parallel angle that Clarke and Chase both scraped at! Looks the same, don’t it? As in precisely the same, as in you only see this on the heels of precision driven laser like coaching. As Bud Foster had his best spring since P.Stump and B.Warren in terms of second-layer development.

Finally, observe the pseudo 6-2 even front look pre-snap. Think that might have something to do with fielding the simultaneously fastest and smallest Hokie defense in over a decade? Bingo that, me too! Notice as well that field-position (1st-n-10 from the O’s 12 yardline) fully funds a run-max look such as any 6-2 defense inherently is. p.s. our sixty-two cheats the Rover and the Whip up; leaving the Mike and ‘back ILb’ing twins in place. (which just has to be code for blitzing like a mother; as you do n0t want Whips/Rovers fighting Te’s and Ot’s for a living at the point of attack) +1 rushing yard for Caleb.

1Q Play#2: pressing 5-2 Budweiser vs. 3-wide, naked-I, Pro-right great Scot
Play-action odd or to the left side, with the always likeable reverse roll-out run-pass option play to the wide or strong (Te) side of the formation against the grain and to the right. Motley showed off some nice enough wheels on this one, scrambling for what would have prolly be 1st-down yardage under real live fire.

Still not real sure about where to peg Motley’s top-speed folks. He sure has that effortless John Stallworth look to his striding that makes him (artificially) look like he is never quite wound all the way up to full speed. Long striders with a greater heel-to-toe separation are prone to this. And I finally know who this kid reminds me of …Jason Campbell of Auburn fame. Nearly a cloned carbon-copy to be direct; when compared at the same stage of collegiate progression. Both are tallish, windmill, buggy-whip type of throwers and runners alike. Both are a good deal away from their developmental ceilings; both look like they could mix in a steak, or three. As both are lanky, a bit gawky, and never quite perfectly textbook in their style of play; much less in their  delivery. And yet, there are not many athletes on the field who can out-athlete either one of them, either.

Or in other words? I’m just not sure just how good (or even great) Motley can become? Nor is Vah.Tech last time I checked. Only thing we do know is that he enjoys plenty of spacing regarding his current state of development and his eventual ceiling. How heighty that eventual ceiling eventually is is open to debate; although a certain Red Raider may wish to have a few words here as well.

On this particular play, notice the lack of contain by Whip Lb Di Nardo on this one. As #41 swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker, and made the run-option keeper a no-brainier by an athlete like Motley churning towards the wide-side edge. This is an easy read by our current Qb1 (Motley) and a really illiterate play by Di Nardo; augmented by just enough edge blocking by a in-line Bucky Hodges at Te. (where Bucky blocked ok, or even C+++ to B- at times, though nothing epic, as his contact oriented conversion is still a work in progress away from playing the always sheltered gold-jersey Qb spot) +10 yards for Motley.

p.s. notice on the replay of play#2, that Motley smartly sold the very same wide-side fake roll-out look, which set play#3 up like a charm; a surefire sign of a very coachable kid…

Play#3: off-man 6-2 base look v. broken-Veer left, strong (Te) right:
Basically nothing more than an extreemly quick-hitting End around old-school play to to #80 D.Knowles as the short-side Se who completely fools the Bud Stout stop-unit on this one. Notice as well the total non-block (dashed red-line) on the 7-hole De to the left by the blind-side Ot (#67 Parker Osterloh, who has indeed shown signs this spring), as Parker is then forced to chip inside (white-line) and pick up the scraping Mike Lb, as Ken Ekanem simply freezes up like 0 degrees Celsius on this one. Ken has this play dead to rights, Ken has D.Knowles perfectly positioned for an ESPN highlight reel megaton detonation type hit, and yet he just remains planted like a tree (missed maroon-line) as D.Knowles turns upfield and zoooooooms right on bye!

Or to put it another way, this was a double-bad play with mutual O and D screw-ups alike, that somehow inexplicably busts contain and goes for sexxy yardage down along the press-box sideline. Go fig’ folks, a strange game this football??? +52 for D.Knowles!

Play#4: 5-2 shifting into 6-2 off-man Nickle look v. offset-Veer left, pro (Te) short-side left
Bobbled snap gums up the entire works on this play, as the advantage immediately shifts to the defense with zero offensive timing on this attempted and de-sequenced zone-stretch right or to the even or wide side of the field carry. So there’s not much to teach or say here other than Motley needs a few more under-C reps to get fully comfortable with the initial pass when he yell: “hike!”

Though do observe less ‘Gun and more under-C looks this spring. And do notice that Scot –curiously enough, does a whole lotta strong or Pro side Te alignments to the short-side of the field. Which means Scot is not afraid to run back-side, without the services of a more traditional in-line Te, to the naked or uncovered Ot side or wide-side of the field. Or rather this is bassackwards in historic textbook alignment terms. A very interesting offense this great Scot offensive set, that is just not an easy one to peg tendency wise in old-school keying the play elementary terms pre-snap.

p.s. just a little bit of a steal for a hustling Ferris-wheel over on the right side across the pile at the end of this one; as Ferris pretty much wastes #87 D.Alford and knocked him right on his keister for the first steal of the day! -2 for Knowles.

1Q play#5: Flex 4-3 with press-man Tampa-1 v. Pro left 2-wide, Pistol into Veer hybrid look
“Meep meep!” Zip! Bang!
As Joel Caleb goes old-school cartoon Road Runner and takes this one to the house right up the A-gap gut for 6 big ones! (see: above pic)

Notice that this was actually a cross-buck or countering Read-Option look whereby Joel bounce-cut the belly-play and galloped A-gap right, or up through the suddenly developing right-side or even 2-hole. Can’t say I’ve seen this one before, and nobody should ever question Joel’s rushing vision, again!

One perfect textbook seal block on the fold to pick up the Mike Lb by Benedict from right-G (in the white circle), and one outta position over-running (in run-support) move (red circle, red-line) from our up-n-coming Rover (Desmond Frye), and suddenly as you can see in the maroon cross hatching, there was nobody home to mind the barn after the horses had all run away!

Such is the inheritor nature of a high-risk v. high-reward defensive structure, though one can question making this call within enemy FG range. Such is also the nature of the Loeffler offense, which always seems to front-load its sexiest plays into the opening script. (LOVE to know if that is in an all out effort to play from the lead A.S.A.P., or if that is all the sexxy our offensive script has???)

Either way, Joel is the sleeper Tb pick folks. This guy just has that extra-sensory play-making knack to his game, and he hits like a (bleeping) ton of bricks. +28 yards and 6 points for Joel Caleb!

Play#6: P.A.T.:
No rush, good pass, good hold; all conspire to fund a good point-after kick. (nothing to see here folks)

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JRHokie of TSL asks:
“As of today, your RB lineup (would be what); and how you feel about this position come Fall?”

Hmmmmmmmmm………..allow me the courtesy of taking the second-half first. As that is the easier one to answer. In belief…….the short answer is:…….I feel a whole helluva a lot better about Tb now, than I have since the Tb days of my boy David Wilson, (with Josh Oglesby in tow).

We may not quite have the freaky all-time single season rushing leader in this cadre of youngling Tb’s, although we sure as hell have 3 or maybe even 4 Daren Evans level production based runners at least. IF, and after all, IF is the middle word in life, IF, Trey and Shai both regain their respective full health’s, again. Godspeed on that.

Tb1, Trey Edmunds: oldest, most experienced, needs to at least begin the game, even if he gives way to a superior talent subsequent to that. Really nice blend of speed (77 yard long run) with just enough power to run internally; best blended back on the roster in point of fact. Additionally nabbed 17 grabs for 155 yards and 2 receiving TD’s which works out to a score on 12% of his catches last campaign! Not bad work, if you can get it.

Tb2, now it gets tougher, as I have several sources that swear up-in-down that Shai Mckenzie (pic: right) is the best pure leg-talent Rb on the entire roster, hands-down! IF he too were only 100% healthy. Great moves, epic body (see: pic), more than enough speed, and something of a Klitschko ‘esque downhill telephone puncher when he must lower his head and deliver the blow. This one is part thudder and part thunder on top of that. What a handsome combination, if Shai’s right-knee gets well soon. (if not, ask 2015 if my sourcing was correct; yet again)

Tb3, so with two currently lame guys out in front of him, Mars’ Williams (through no fault of his own) may be a helluva a lot closer to bona-fide Tb1 status than you think, or than he rightfully should be, in terms of best overall Tb talent, Coach God and the training room staff permitting. Mars’ is clearly the most physical, most bullwark, most brackish runner of the lot, and just ask Frank’s 1990’s O&M film-vault if there is something rather attractive to be said for that. Does need to report in August in elite pulmonary conditioning and not take play-fakes off just to rest. This one is all on Mars’ folks, with the training room attrition in front of him, he can be just as 2014 cosmic as he decides to be.

Tb4, and it’s a damn shame that he is this low on this list, as Tb4 is Joel Caleb via default. Best scolded-dog looking runner I’ve seen at Virginia Tech since David Wilson actually hitting the correct hole. Joel runs like Bud Foster’s hair is on fire, and he is the worst, as in most torpex flavored hitter at Tb for Virginia Tech since the initial Beamer days of one Otis Copeland; who was sheer death to opposing tacklers when fully healthy.

Tb5 J.C.Coleman/Chris Mangus split.
Mangus has done things on film, and on the practice field that you just would not believe. He’s even named, yes, dropped gloss’ -short for glossary- on this very own moves, jukes and cuts! You do not do that and get away with it as a bum. However, in-game or in-scrimmage? The dots simply disconnect for whatever reason or reason(s) plural. J.C.C. is about as likeable of a Tb as you will ever find. He looks perfectly silly in the Spiderman costume he has worn into the VT lockeroom before. He has great in-line or linear speed, and he does test strong like bull. And yet he somehow manages to somehow play even smaller than his 5’6” status would suggest as power conference B.c.s. status may be a bridge too far for this great kid.

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So if healthy, I would have to consider Shai to be the #1 pure Tb talent, and if not he is Tb3. Again, if healthy, Shai could possibly demote Trey all the way down to Tb3 or maybe even over to Linebacking status, with he (Shai) and Mars’ Williams simply manhandling the Tb1-Tb2 spots in a double-rookie side-headlock. Which seems absurd; does it not? However, that is precisely how absurdly deep we are in Tb talent, if not yet in raw Tb health.

And if were were 100% deep in Tb health, I’d have to recommend dealing or trading one of these stud talents in N.f.l. terms to sure up another spot or spots. That’s how deep Virginia Tech Tb talent suddenly is, Coach God wiling.

“LETS GO!“

“Hokies!“

bourbonstreet**