Spring Practice 33% Review:

Spring has sprung down in Blacksburg Va. folks!

Hopefully Slusher Beach still agrees.

Even more hopeful that Russian Hokie will venture over there; and find out!

However, and in the meantime, we have a few bits of objective news and some subjective analysis of the same; that needs to be aired out.

As the O&M pigskins are airborne as I speak down on the
Virginia Tech spring practice field.

3rd string Tb:
D.J. Reid and Travon McMillian “…please stand-up, please stand-up!”

D.J. Reid is the wildcard here; as Chris Coleman will tell you, my peeps called the McMillian break-out about 3-4 weeks ago. (READERs note: on a noticeably shorter list of break-out potential’s this year than in before).

What exactly is D.J. Reid’s game? I’m not real sure I understand this one my ownself. As he sure has changed since he left Thomas Dale high school. (similar to the physical additive transformation of one Mars’ Williams post- Phoebus high school). Nobody else seems to be pointing this out; so allow me… as D.J. does not even look like the same human-being, now, compared to when he entered Virginia Tech. First of all he went out and found a ‘fro-hawk, then he found some kinda blonde dye to put into one of the edges of said ‘fro-hawk; and oh by the way; he also went out and found a whopping 27 lbs. of mass to sling as well.

So what exactly is the contemporary D.J. Reid as Tb’s go? Is he a pure puncher thanks to 27 lbs. of found mass? Is he a puncher who can box a little? Or is the a pure hybrid boxer-puncher? Recall that D.J. Reid enjoyed nice high school numbers, not over the top box-score annihilating numbers. Nevertheless, Reid was whispered to have put up a legit sub-4.5 forty at Fork Union where he prepped for a year. Some even hinted he ran a eye-popping 4.39 forty! Though what forty does he run with an extra 27 lbs. slung on his back? See what I mean? Exactly which Tb are we asking D.J. Reid to be? A sleeper pick of a speedster (which I actually favor), or are we going Ken Oxendine all over again (and bulking another Tb too far up)? None other than Frank Beamer himself seemed to infer the hybrid role of a boxer-puncher for D.J. as it was Frank who was whispered to be complimentary of D.J.’s top speed with said increased mass. Which makes D.J. Reid an intriguing boxer-puncher combination indeed. And if that is true, you may have you next senior year Josh Oglesby on your hands; or your next Cedric Humes (prior to the worst ankle/foot break I’ve ever seen). Reader: take thy pick!

Well, unless of course Travon McMillian is so good that Travon McMillian takes any potential game-rep’s away from D.J. Reid as it was #24 now gone #34 who had the late season “wow” factor to his scout team performances to close the 2014 sporting year. The former Virginia High School Offensive Player of the Year (3,oo9 yards and 37 TD’s as a senior) is apparently turning some spring-time heads as well on a certain O&M campus.

---

Travon might just be the true wildcard set to blossom into something special this spring; as he certainly has that special game-changing or maybe even game-breaking ability inherently encoded in his style of play. Which is curious, as Travon’s forty is said to be north of D.J.’s forty at 4.49 for Mr. McMillian. That said, McMillian’s change of direction or gridiron vectoring is deceptively quick. His open-field break-out style of running reminds me a bit of John Stallworth of childhood Pittsburgh Steelers era. Effortless, smooth, almost as if he is so fast that he is simply coasting along.

Travon himself has gone out and found 8 lbs. of right-mass since his scholastic days. Recall that Travon is still prolly 10% Qb, his former position in high school. He is said to be a one-move runner who dashes, not dances. Has an old-school stiff-arm move in his repertoire, and he has an explosive vertical element to his game as well. As this is the kinda kid who can turn a crack into a seam and a seam into a hole. Yet, and all that being said, this is yet another in a long line of designated Athlete conversion type players. This one flashes a likeable smile and is said to want to transfer into Engineering at some point! So you know he’s got it going on between the ear-pads.

And I know that Scot is intrigued by this kid, and quite frankly (pun intended) I am too. As this one seems to have that extra coach God given knack for converting or catechisming into the true Tb faith.

Qb or not to Qb:
Where is my boy M.Brewer and his already Red Raider surgically repaired bad-back? Recall that some whispers say that TX.Tech misdiagnosed Brewer with a disc herniation when he in fact (may) have had a stress-fracture of a vertebra.

(the descrption of said surgery will make you cringe; as they snipped the spinous process –off! the part of the backbone you see pointing upwards when you see someone bend forward). Ergo, to whit, the longer this lasts the more I don’t like this lumbar spine business; not one iota! Godspeed at #12.

Now we see (literally) that B.Motley has some kinda throwing arm issue. If my Ginko whatever it is called -I forget-  is still working; I could have sworn that he had an off or left-arm elbow issue last year. This year it appears to be his right-side or throwing arm as an orthodox passer.

I hear it’s noting serious; though I initially heard the same on my boy Brewer’s back. “Precautionary” is the precise wording; with a return to full passing practice this week listed as “probable”. And my boy M.Brewer surely needs the in situ work and/or reps for his first and last O&M spring. Recall that he (M.Brewer) has never ever enjoyed the fruits of a Spring Practice down in the warmer weather New River Valley. I’ve gone though just as many spring-practices in the 24060 as M.Brewer has; and my next spring practice will be my first. That’s not good folks; and this could actually open the Qb competition door; presuming that B.Motley can mature into a more well-rounded (i.e. passing) Qb. As I’m ok with run-first play-calling outta #9. Though I do need to see more than an Eric Chapman 1986 stylized passing attack if we choose, or are forced via Brewer injury into converting into a truly Motley Crew.

Ergo, the longer M.Brewer’s back nags him, the less this spring time 2015 offense will gel, much less outright solidify. And here I was forecasting as downright solid starting-11 for the offensive huddle. Thereby putting the proverbial cart before the horse… yet again; memo to: me.

Back-up oLine:
What the hell are you talking about b.street?

What back-up oLine?!?
As right now, we are an injured legacy Chung and Pfaff away from having any credible offensive-line depth! Yikes! And yikes some more if anything happens to this starting-5 that only actually fields 4 guys with an authentic offensive-line home position’s.

Don’t wanna hit this one too hard; although I ain’t Mary Poppins and I ain’t even got a spoonful of NutraSweet; either. Ostriches may like to put their head in the sand; and yet this oLine’s margin of error is nil. Or zero at the moment; as coach Stacy is one critical forward-five injury away from drowning in sand. My boy Smith is just not an offensive-lineman. He needs to move back home under coach Wiles roof where he belongs. Osterloh is sky-scraping big enough, although short on starting acumen. Maybe he has enough on the footwork scale to be a quality caddy or back-up.

A.Clark is a juvenile x-factor of sorts here. As Clark plus a returning Chung and Pfaff, along with a developmental Osterloh would nudge this 2015 oLline closer to being 9 deep as spot-minutes go as opposed to being 4 deep +1 guy starting outta-position. Or in other words you’d better cross your fingers, eyes and toes that this starting-5 remains healthy for the duration. As right now we are at 31% or 5/16 as successful ready to deploy offensive-linemen go at this very moment.

***

O&M Odds-n-ends:
Hearing better than expected things, to downright good things on the following ballers:

• De, Seth Dooley: if, and after all, “if is the middle-word in Life”, however, IF Dooley has truly madly deeply taken the next step(s) at De? Well guess which defensive front-line is suddenly in the best in the A.c.c. convo’?
• X-Wr, Charley Meyer: if I had to namedrop a good hands team member? It would prolly have to be Meyer; almost via default. Recall all the jugs machine work that former Wideout coach A.Moorehead put this unit through last year. Lotta metrics at Wr, not as many pure L.Swann ‘esque type hands however. Nevertheless, that is not the case for #83, who continues to “have a good day catching the ball” basicaly any day he’s out there. Known for his hustle or work-ethos, and his quiet inclusion in the Super Iron Hokie award team, this is a Wr who could be possession type Wr, with enhanced strength at 6’2” and a very 215 legit looking  lbs. Meyer just needs to stay healthy, as every time I type this out, some minor to nagging injury seems to crop up; and that is one tough row to hoe.
• Db, Adonis Alexander, looks like an Adonis, plays like the same. In fact the Human Genome Project might wanna check this Adonis’ blood for a little Kam Chancellor D.n.a. And guess what? I kinda doubt he is fully filled out at almost 6’4” 193 lbs.! Right now coach Gray is trying his hand at Rover. And the metrics would seem to agree with that. Though this one could be a Jimmy Williams powerhouse overload at Cb with just a little more swivel in his hips. Get this kid some Eagle-Drill stat’! As I’m very intrigued with #36. #36, starts at Virginia Tech; when, not if.
• My almost boy R.V.D. (Ronny Van Dyke) seems to be making lock-down noise at the Whip-Lb spot. I’m now real sure how much this says about R.V.D., or rather how much it says re: the rest? Though I am sure I trust this kids physicality at the point of attack. As this is the best pure hitting Whip in a handful of years; give/take.
• There are a few modest recent vibes that that object that appears closer in the ‘tua-man’s mirror may actually be rookie year Mike-Lb Carson Lydon. And I’ll let you in on a little lockeroom breadcrumb trail secret, you do not randomly hand-out a stud number like #44 to a bum. As Mister Lydon might just be the steal of the 2015 recruiting class.
• movement: Joel Caleb from Tb to Wr. Modest thumbs up. As we need blocking help at Wideout and my boy is a pure hitter if nothing else. Though I’d love to see us (somehow) figure a station-keeping collegiate Position out and assign that to our don’t quite fit anywhere else VHT (very highly touted) blue chip stud athletes, A.S.A.P. Let them get their feet wet there during their r-shirt year. Then you still have 4 other seasons if the first position did not quite set the way you wanted. Joel is indeed a D-1 talent; though one could argue that with that much “hit”, he should have been some manner of defensive talent from the word “go”.
  movement: Yosuah Nijman from De to Ot. I suppose the issuance of numerology (#69) should have been a hint here. And yet, with 16 scholarship ballers already entrenched on our offensive front-line? Either De is mega deep or Ot is mega thin; take thy pick. And the smart money is backing the later more so than the former. And here I was all looking forward to seeing us finally deploy a South Eastern Conference sized End-De for a change. Shame on me. Nijman as an Ot may work out well enough; he did play here and play well here scholastically. Although how is it that the TSL message board’s keep telling me that a guy with a legit 4.88 forty was not quick enough for at least End-De? Riddle me that?

Done=33%, Remaining=67%

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**