“…one good deed is worth a thousand explanations.“
–Samurai edict–
Spring football practice tips off Thursday afternoon down in the New River Valley for our beloved gridiron Hokies.
As spring ball is set to dawn with more than the normal amount of positional races still very much in flux, and hopefully not fluxed up by the time spring practice comes to a close, the weekend after both Easter’s.
Qb, Tb, Split-End, De, Dt (not named Maddy), Kicker and the entire Linebacking corps nearly to a man; appear to be up for grabs. As Frank and company have bu-cu sorting out out in front of them heading into this 2014 season’s spring camp.
As I’ve said before…………..“I don’t fix solutions.”
And yet you have to wonder just how many parts are left on the O&M shelf for a team that finished the 2013 season down 7 scholarship players, and this off of a relatively meager 15 wins in our last 26 games! That’s not very Virginia Tech like people. As Frank and company have more than just a few things left to solve indeed; let’s hope they don’t have a lotta things left to explain.
1st team Tb:
Front Squat: 5’6” 191 lb., J.C. Coleman checking in at 455 lbs.?!? To be fair; J.C. does not have a far to go; and that does help. Though still! That’s just freakin’ absurd!!! I hope those of you at home who have never balled or cracked the iron at least sorta get that. That’s just pure sick!!!
Dood is squatting ~245% more than he weighs! (see: pic on right)
Wyatt and those strongmen oLinemen would have to move somewhere in the vicinity of 725-750 lbs. to even be equivalent; or basically rupture every single disc in their collective backs. And yet, does that translate to anything more than third-string or spot-reps (pardon the pun) once our cadre of Tb’s return to health (God willing)?
Other Tb’s:
Shai McKenzie might just be the most purely talented Virginia Tech Tb since the days of my boy David Wilson, if only his right-knee were good-to-go-solo. Though the good news is he has not, I repeat not gained a single oz. of weight since that disabling right right-A.c.l. blow-out occurred on a cut (non-weight bearing) up in Washington Pa. last September. That’s a surefire sign of a kid plum gettin’ after it in re-hab or minding his P.T. (physical therapy) store. Though this was also a kid whose game was once all about the balance, change of direction (nice jump-cut); and acceleration. So let’s see how close (or not) he checks into his former 4.58 forty knee, or maybe even better let’s ask 2015 how all that tastes after a r-shirt in 2014. However, 65o rushing on 2 games and change in high school does not suck.
Marshawn Williams has gone out and found himself about 10-14 lbs. of mass; depending upon where you look. And at a robust 5’11” 224 lbs. this kid may already be campaigning for the nickname of: “tank”. As 224 lbs. * legitimate 4.58 forty-speed = a very interesting t-freshman prospect at Tb folks. “The Juice” as Marshawn likes to be called, is indeed a pretty juicy, aggressive, hard-charging non-contact shy Tb. He has a squared up or perpendicular shoulder to the line-of-scrimmage style which may draw some extra contact, though there is also something vaguely R.Williams about this M.Williams on film; with more speed, albeit it a bit less slithery. Marshawn deploys really nice downfield balance, and supreme hesitation moves whereby this Williams almost comes to a complete stop in the open-field. And that makes this writer most curious to opine what he sees this spring.
Finally………………..Trey, Joel, and Shai, all in Green or Blue and can you say lottsa injured Tb talent (mostly) just standing there this spring???
3rd team Te:
Bucky Hodges: on a Fade or Flag route don’t sound to bad either at 38.5”! Goodness that’s getting some serious air for a guy who is 6-and-a-half feet tall and tips the Toledo Scale’s at a mere 243 totally shredded lbs. Yah; I’d say that’s a match-up problem in the red-zone folks. Or anywhere else with a very under the O&M radar scope 4.55 or 5th best forty time just two weeks ago! Bucky bench pressed 315 lbs. and posted a 365-pound front squat on top of all of that! Again, yah; I’d say this guys a match-up problem extraordinaire. Though can he catch? Does he possess the gift of grab (see the pun)? Much less the ability as a former Qb turned Te to actually block??? And yet, he would bring a virtually never seen Te-pass trick play out onto the field if nothing else. He did rumble for over 1,000 yard rushing in high school; so Y.A.C. (yards after the catch) would not appear to be a problem, and if he is tough enough; methinks you bet the over on Bucky making opposing OLb’s, S’s or Cb’s … cry!
Campus Qb(s):
Why is prized pure passing -yet slender- recruit Andrew Ford actually dropping weight? Am I the only one seeing this one? Down to 195 red-shirt looking lbs. if you ask me. For a nearly 5 flat (4.93) forty Qb who prolly won’t be juking and jiving his B.c.s. way downfield anytime soon, that’s not what you want for an rookie season voter who is just north of 6′ tall. Ford does toss an eminently catchable ball, he has a live enough although not quite bionic arm, and he sees the field on a John Stockton level, to mix my sporting metaphor. However, can he survive @the Ohio State at a senior prom savvy 195 lbs.?
Mark Leal is a lotta things, not all of them tall or fast. However, he sure looks like a Strong-Safety or sawed-off spark-plug of a Pivot up close and personal. As dude has stacked up 5 more lbs. of hopefully right mass. And this was added to a kid who won’t ever be confused with Bryan Randall; much less with Michael Vick. His 4.83 forty would appear to agree. And if that is anything less than right-mass, I’m pretty well not impressed; as much as I am concerned; by a kid who has twice already had to be talked into staying at Virginia Tech. As one has evaluate how he will take non-starting Qb news in terms of chemistry and/or morale. As one has to wonder out-loud if the starting 2014 Qb is already on campus; or not?
2nd team Ot (right):
Augie Conte: strong like bull! No really, check it out …
- Back Squat = 585 lbs.! (2nd best, team wide)*
- Push Jerk = 380 lbs.! (first best, team wide)
- Power Clean = 380 lbs.!!! (all-time Ot position record!)
- Bench Press = 430 lbs.! (1st best, team wide)
- do you see a pattern???
No really, this kid is strong like bull! This kid eats iron plates for breakfast and burps straight bar cuffs for lunch. Don’t believe me? Just ask this worker bee how he has improved his testing metrics since he arrived. 60 lbs. up in Bench? Check. 40 lbs. better in Front-Squat? Done. 40 lb. gain in Push Jerk? Roger that. Already won Super Iron Hokie award? Of course!
So dude looks like Tarzan, though does he play like the same? Stay tuned, as I wanna evaluate his footwork in situ this spring-ball and see if his lateral or signature swinging gate movement has improved any in terms of his left-foot pivot in pass-protect. As speed rushers game him serial fits last time I checked. However, he is at least part mauler as run-blocking goes; coming from a major scholastic ground-assault Eastern Front stylized trench warfare factory in high school.
I’m not saying Conte beats Gibby out at right-Ot, and yet nobody is saying why Lawrence Gibson cut a staggering 30 lbs. or about 3 weight-classes in boxing at right-Ot?!? What’s up with that? Although I am saying that Conte should press Gibby for playing-time at this stage of their respective careers. As somebody has to play right-Ot in 2015; and it will not be 5th-year r-senior L.Gibson.
* NOTE that Doc Gentry has returned to the more savage movement of a pure Back-Squat as opposed to a somewhat safer Front-Squat
Loading ...Split-End, Defensive-End, and Linebacker depth:
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Just kidding!
Well, sorta just kidding, as I’d write about Split End, Defensive-End, and Linebacking depth alike, if we had any. Seriously! Take a look at our depth chart folks. Who do we have here that is all that and a snap? When you read our pass catching depth-chart, who do you see and say “…oh Lord, we’d better double-cover *that* guy!” And yes, although we did have some medium level of experience returning, they are all still young, they will be experiencing a new starting Qb timing wise, and we basically have nobody behind Joshua Stanford at Se. Or in other words, our Top-3 Wr’s ain’t too shabby; may not be a superstar among the lot; though we prolly have a couple of all-A.c.c. third-teamer’s here come 2016. And we have nearly nothing behind that.
When you read our training room report at Linebacker you see our best two Lb’s standing over along the sidelines in blue contrasts. (note: it’s not a jersey, it’s a pull-over contrast). That’s not good, as Devin Vandyke (D.V.D.) and his blown out left A.c.l., and Ronny Vandyke (R.V.D.) with his completely rebuilt right-shoulder (Glenoid labrum tears are nasty just like that), are major major fast-twitch, high velocity, impaction talents. Or at least they were.
And that just sucks. Recall that nobody could block D.V.D. at Mike as last spring wore on, as he was a purely knifing good MLb (or Mike in our name driven nomenclature). D.V.D. is a really talented north-south play-making Mike with a nose for the ball and a facemask for collision hits. R.V.D. may actually have been the more physically handsome specimen, although both brothers looks like they came to life and broke through a 2000 year old stature carved outta Greek. As R.V.D. may be the higher voltage baller of the two Vandyke brothers, if you can believe that, as he is closer to making the Cruiserweight class and is stationed on the edge at Whip. So get well soon and God bless each Vandyke brother; as we are solidified in our second layer instantaneously with them, and perilously thin without. Why?
Check it out … why did Chase Williams our pecking order inheritor of the Mike starting job just cut nearly 20 lbs. this off-season? Is he changing positions? Is he hurting (former hamstring and shoulder history) and therefore could not train properly? Are we toggling or outright defragmenting our defensive hard-disc into more of a true 3-4/4-2 hybrid look to compliment the one true strength of our 2014 stop-unit, our Secondary? The short answer? I, don’t, know.
Though I do know that I’ma gonna run right at the non-Maddy Virginia Tech Dt, and therefore right at a mere 215 lb. starting Mike for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Notice that our 2nd-team back-up Dt (Jeremy Haynes) only weighs 222 lbs.! Why am I the only one who sees these things? Oh wait, I’m not as everyone from Bill & Mary to uva in game #12 is already seeing them too.
Nigel Williams is fine opposite Maddy; he’s more than serviceable and came on a bit as 2013 drew to a close; however Marshall is barely 255 lbs. and still looks more parts De -which needs plenty of help mind you- and less parts Dt. Then we see Andrew Motuapuaka at Mike Linebacker, he of the cool Tongan name, Predator haircut, Mechanical Engineering degree already in-hand (MEGA VT.edu props on that) and of the P.Stump’ looking frame (5’11” maybe; though a very legit 241 squatty looking lbs.) Is Andrew the answer at Mike if D.V.D. does not recover soon enough or full enough? I’m dubious he is; at least not yet, as from what someone saw last year at practice (as that Polynesian Predator haircut is hard to miss); Motuapuaka catches a lotta blocks. Not a really gifted run-block shedder. Thus leaving Andrew is something of an impoverished man’s J.C. Coleman of the Linebacking corps role as he does not deal real well with contact. Though I’ve heard that ‘drew is more athletic than he looks as well. So there is that, and playing-time is available, unless we have to turn to two t-freshman (t=true) or 214 lb., 212, and 212 lbs. again third-stringers. And that’s not good sports fans; as Coach Bud and Coach Brown really have their second-layer work cut or for them this spring.
De:
Who’s your Dadi? Or who is your starting Olb, maybe? As my boy Dadi is also a lotta things, though under control or not way too far north up-field in constant attack mode are not among them. So what is Dadi? Well, and to begin, he’s 10 lbs. lighter than he was, and 218 does not even sound like a AAA or quad-A high school big time De to me; 218 however does sound a lot like an OLb. If, and if is the middle word in life, if Dadi can cover; which remains to be seen.
Ken Ekanem is part old-school 1980’s pro wrestling Junkyard Dog, sans the spiked collar and steel link-chain. As Ekanem is a stout and willing run-fighter, even if that horrific double right knee tear limits him a bit in terms of providing pocket pressure. Ekanem is no softie with a forth best 34o lb. Push-Jerk lift, so clearly there is some explosion left to his game, and there is some first-school salt in his blood; as dude is willing to mix it up at the point of attack.
Behind them you ask???
“…there be dragons” as the corner of any old-world map used to warn as cartography code for unknown territory lies ahead. Alford is +4 (lbs.) in weight, and Dooley (no-relation), is +8 in weight. So I suppose you have to say they are trying to at least look the part. Alford in particular is at least serviceable in terms of strength (36o lb. bench) and a bit athletic (34.5” vertical) alike. And Dooley does appear to have the frame (6’5.5”) to play bigger/better than he currently is; and he did make some negative yardage stops (TFL more so than sacks) in high school. Though neither sophomore looks like more than a career back-up to me.
Kicker? I have no idea, and methinks neither does Frank. Last year Hokie Kicker’s conspired to leave a staggering 33 points worth of missed kicks out on the football field! That’s not good with 3 of your final 4 L’s decided by 3 points twice and a single full-play (or TD) once. That’s even worse when you have to project that this will be the least great Bud Bock defense since 2004. As 10th best in rushing defense and 4th best in total defense appear virtual locks to find themselves in a 20-30 spot decline. That means our defensive margin of error will not be as lofty as before; and that puts a premium on our 3-point percentage of 57.69% last season!
***
So there you have it, there is some hope at the aforementioned positions of emphasis or of outright need. There is some talent and more than a little inexperience at each as well. How soon these unproven kids can emphasize their future will go a long way in determination of 2014 itself. As one can only hope that they are not so needy by the time we open for A.c.c. play in late September.
Solid positions=15, In flux positions=9
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**