Spring football practice: day#1
These are just *the* things that jump right immediately out at me, uncensored, unfiltered and more uncensored.
I’ll be leaving the politically correct vetting to someone else.
So here goes…
…let’s dig in!
p.s. give the scoops a day or two, they need time to digest the film, first!
- So Gallo is the starting C after all?
Nice swerve by the Staff on leaving him conveniently out a couple of weeks ago.
(I kept telling peeps I had no idea why he was not the starting C?) Omission? Ego-tweak? Don’t know? I do know I now feel a good deal better about Center. - This oLine looks 6, maybe 7 deep at the moment (Smith & Osterloh are good and ok as back-ups go respectively). That being said, …this is our best starting-5 (on paper) since the senior year of DeChris and Brooks and company. You may BOOK IT!!! (and that 6-7 deep could easily morph into a full 8 deep once legacy Chung gets his shoulder squared away –coach God willing)
Go ahead and expect a more physical, more ill-will, more inherently violent starting-5. The days of our kinder gentler blocking herbivores and omnivores appear to be gone. This o-line is pure raw-meat. (Pfaff is the wild card here; be real nice to see him cleared full A.S.A.P.) - Boy is De young, younger, youngest at the moment as the 2’s and 3’s go. The raw Talent is there; 2-deep with some seasoning in point of fact; the repetitions simply are not.
Leaner meaner Frank Beamer - Frank looks a bit thinner; don’t he? Sounded pretty decent, all things considered. Still the nicest most avuncular coach I know.
And a totally EPIC throat/vocal-cord comeback could not possibly happen to a nicer guy!
WAR Frank!!!
- Former Te trying the Duane Brown path is one Darius Redman; who is already running with the 2’s or second-string at chief blind-side back-up Ot. And this is a bit of a surprise. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming? Me neither. I’m still wondering on possibly giving him a go at Fb as a Craig Ironhead Hayward overload type Fb? As he’s almost just a scosche small for an Ot at barely 6’4” and 271 lbs. (he cut 6-7 lbs. this off-season, too!) We’ll see on this one. However, as a 4.82 forty for an Ot is nearly blazing fast for that given position. However again, Redman’s strength and conditioning numbers never even had a wow-factor at Te, never mind Ot.
- Do we have the Top-3 Te‘s in the country or what? Bucky is not even starting at the moment, and Kline could start for at least 50% of the A.c.c., maybe more.
- Vinny Mihota is a curious one at Dt. Sources say the Staff is curious re: him as well. He had the look and feel of a S.e.c. sized De, at first blush. If he can find a little more strength, a little more meanness, and play just a little lower? You may have your spring break-out defender on your hands, and this kid could be a handful come 2018; if not before. And if Mihota can develop, Virginia Tech will be loaded for bear at Dt this fall. Grizzles beware!
- Shai McKenzie is not listed on anything at the moment, FYI.
***
- I’m still hoping Frye and Shegog can find a Secondary home at Fs and/or Rover. Like the physicality each one of them brings.
- Sources say injured and starting Fb Sam Rogers is still busting ass! Be that with about 1.75 arms after elbow surgery. This is the kinda boy you want to date your daughter men. The kind your rather fight with than against. As the stories will be tall-tales on #45 and the tales will be heighty indeed before this kid is all said and done. Splash yet another stud Walk-On boggy for Virgina Tech!
- Staff seems pretty dang tall on Fr. De Yosuah Nijman and Mike-Lb Carson Lydon. Both absolutely field play-right-away D-1 ready bodies. The metrics are there, gonna be tough to keep these two off the field come September.
- Every single thing I’m hearing on the ‘tua-man one Anderw Motuapuaka is somewhere between good and outstanding. He may have come further faster than any Lb I can recall since the game slowed down proverbially for James Anderson; way back when.
- Really would like to see Minor take step(s) forward at ‘backer this spring. He’s a dangerous looking ‘backer if/when the game does slow down for him. Looks like Tarzan, …here’s hoping he plays like the same.
Pretty easy to see why 12 gets some passes tipped; ain’t it? - Fisher + a healthy R.V.D. could truly make the Whip Lb position impaction all over again. Fisher may not be the valedictorian of the football team anytime soon. However, if/when he figures everything on and off-field out? He and R.V.D. are gonna hurt more than some opposing feelings. They are gonna make some opposing momma’s, cry.
- Eckam, Marshall, Maddy, Facyson, and the final Fuller. All standing around in medically colorful jersey’s or civis as spring ball dawns in 2015. Or in other words no matter how good this springtime stop-unit is … it damn sure gets well soon the moment 45% of its starters retake the field!
- Been hearing some fun things about my boy M.Brewer. He may just be more pure footballer and krazed good-ole-boy than even I had suspected. Expecting nothing less fun things outta him this fall. “Texas forever!”
Loading ...The takeaway:
The takeaway is that this was one of the more focused first days of practice in several years. Great Scot and the O seem determined to do something about the last 18 months; Bud Foster and the D are really only about 1 Rover and some penta-health in return removed from being the Top defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Would like to see some improvements at Place-Kicker and Punter before it is all said and done. Would also like to see a quality KO-return specialist emerge.
That being said, this 2015 O&M club appears to be right on the cusp of their largest collective step forward as a program in 11 years. You read that one here, first!
2013 + 2014 = 13 wins, 2o15=10 wins!*
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
* (training room permitting)
If Brewer could work in a quick shoulder flinch fake to his arsenal, the INTs would go down and the TDs may go up.
I’m just glad football is back in session.
Go Hokies!
Now that you mention that?
As wild-n-wooly as he truly is at heart?
You’d think he’d already have all of those 50’s-60’s barnstorming moves.
agryed,
b.street
B-Street, I love to add some commentary to your website, dont get a ahead of yourself it is just Day 1 of Spring Practice and we did just lose some WRs that we were expected to contribute this fall. I know Bucky, iFord and my boy CamCam are a solid 1-2-3 punch at WR/TE, but we still need 1-2 more weapons outside. I hope to see Newsome step up, b/c he is an athletic freak. Also, Chung at (C) I dunno with multiple shoulder surgeries. I thought Pfaff was out best lineman out of the previous Oline Coaches “fab-5” so I sure home he finds a place on our Oline, be it a back-up at G or possbile Center. I love to hear everyone high on Gallo b/c we need a center some kinda B.A.D.
How do you see the 2ndary shaking out? Im from the 8o4, Thomas Dale Alum, Frye has never impressed me, he is FAST, but I think Reavis is the answer and Strong Safety, him or Shegog. And Clark at Free, although Im not sure we currently have a proverbial and prototype ‘FS’ right now. The next 3 weeks will be awesome to watch and I have 100% trust in Coach Gray.
Im witho you Lydon – 3 year starter at one of the inside LB spots, book it. Kid is a baller and looks the part t.o.d.a.y.
What about stroman in the slot…..a.la. WIllie Byrn? Seems ideal to me, we have enough CB’s assuming Faycson is back. Fuller, Mook, Riley, Greene, Clark, Edmunds….plus the Summer enrolee’s. So why not put stoman on offense, kid was DYNAMIC in the bowl game and his H.S. film was incredible with the ball in his hands, plus he could return punts for us.
sidenote – I would love to see Holland get is Sh*t together and get on the field, he is what Joel Caleb should have been on our defense, so I hope we seem him cracking some helemets sooner rather than later.
sorry to be long winded but this is a fun part of the year, obviously. J-Mac, Aug-dog, Wyatt, Gallo……just need one more and we got a good to very good Oline in the 2nd year of Coach Searles. (imo)
Cant wait to see Yoshuah Nijiman on that Dline (WoW) him and Dadi and Ken, wih Maddy, Marshall, Nigel and Ricky Walker up the middle. We have a LEGIT 4 man rotation at DT, add in Mihota if he is what they say he is, wow or D could be special.
last question – Motopopauquapauaka at Linebacker…..has he really stepped his game up that much? If so, him and my 8o4 boy Clarke will be a a formidable LB duo espically if we can find a hybrid Rover/Nickel/WHIP.
lookin forward to your respose B’Street – you da man, and I love reading your Blog.
-late
Nick M
Secondary only needs recovery health.
And a Rover.
Rover is the wildcard.
I’m set with Clark at Fs.
(they say he is classroom VT.edu smart)
Rover I’m lower than they are.
Just moving a Cb or Fs to Rover does not do it for me.
(that could work; though I want a more natural Rover)
Stroman: that’s not a bad idea.
The kid is a pure firecracker.
Holland has some knucklehead in him.
(we shall see)
‘tua was just; plain; bad; at first.
Windslow- (minus).
I mean d.Miller and that oLine took it easy on him, and still pancaked him in practice.
Bud swears that ‘tua-man is that much better.
Have I seen that?
“No.”
(to be direct)
(though I’m going on what they are saying; this time)
(I still think he’s kinda blockable, myself)
b.street
“The takeaway is that this was one of the more focused first days of practice in several years. ”
Yeah I’ve heard that one before.
Not like I heard it this year.
Much more, succinct.
b.street
B’Street: You have insight and passion but your product is unreadable. Quit trying to be “too cool for school.”
I respectfully disagree, NativeB. If B-Street wrote more, I would read more.
First day got me a little excited.
Always does.
Actual objective news is much much mo’ fun to cover.
; )
b.street
I went back and re-read everything. I think it’s very readable. No complaints here!
Good stuff B’st.! Appreciate it.
: )
b.street
BStreet has a colorful, very readable writing style. Don’t change a thing:-)
Just keep you ideas flowing. Will, Chris and you; along with the other contributors make this a wonderful sports site.
Thank you Sir!
b.street
I look towards the OLine to take a big leap forward. The coaching mindset and intensity have been ratcheted up beginning last year carrying through the bowl game until now. Giving the same intensity as the DLine, sometimes it’s more about Jimmies and Joes than Xs and Os, and the new blood has the fire that’s been lacking. Will Clark be in the mix to start? You have to think he and Alyson look to be this year’s Frosh sensations along with Mook if Facyson doesn’t heal ASAP. Getting pumped!!
Clark looked: “ok”.
He did not look great.
He did not look multi years away; either.
Kinda in the middle on play-right-away.
Maybe he can back-up a bit?
Maybe. (does not look like a starter; to me, right now)
b.street
Should say Lydon not Alyson