Gotta admit … this is the most challenging and therefore the most interesting piece I’ve ever been Fortunate enough
(with a capital “F”) to humbly opine for techsideline.com (TSL.com); ever, period, game-over, end of story.
Accordingly, I fully expect that this could be the most challenged piece I’ve ever written for TSL.com by the TSL.com masses themselves.
Is my eighth ranked player really supposed to be number six?
Is my first ranked player really number two or even lower as the bronze medal winning number three?
Do I have the polar extremes (first and worst) correct?
Using the TSL.com message board’s or the space provided below…………you tell me!
- David Wilson (Tb): my boy, David “bugs” Wilson, (for catching the drill-field rabbit); or
David “super-freak” Wilson al-la Rick James. Not only is David the first-best 2011 VT offensive football player; he just might be the best triple-jumper in the entire A.c.c. as Track-n-Field goes. He certainly is the most electric game-breaker in the A.c.c. as 2011 football is concerned. Be that rushing the football, returning kicks/punts, or catching a pass from the Slot. This guy truly is a bona-fide threat to take it all the way each and every time he touches the football. His Q-score is epic, as this truly is the irresistible object extraordinaire. Whole lotta style going on here folks; though he also added 4 lbs. of substance this summer and that makes him #1 on my list. - Blake DeChristopher (right-Ot)*: best run-blocking oLineman? Check. Most experienced oLineman? Check. All-A.c.c. first-team pre-season? Check. Lower-round N.F.L. prospect? Check. Epic pass-blocker? Welllllll, not so much; though he ain’t half bad in pass protection. Why? Because DeChris has finally settled into the Ot position rather neatly after three years of lining up on the far right hand side of the VT oLine. DeChris now looks the Ot part as opposed to looking like a true-Guard playing out of position at Ot and these days when Blake gets his hands and therefore his upper-body on you, it is over. Have you ever seen Blake DeChristopher and “grizzly” Adams in the same room at the same time? Me neither; and you can be sure that Blake is poised for a bear of a senior season up front for Virginia Tech.
- Jarrett Boykin (Split End): sometimes football -just like life- is nothing more than a numbers game and Jarrett Boykin has the numbers to prove it. 123 catches, 2,123 receiving yards, and 13 career TD’s from the 6`2“ 215 lb. senior year Wideout is one helluva a VT Wide Receiving career historically speaking, and Mr. Boykin has one year left to go! This could be the makings of a N.F.L. possession Wr in the works here folks, if Mr. Boykin can ratchet his blocking up about one full notch.
- Andrew Miller (Center): yah; experience is the one thing this kid lacks; well other than football pads and athletic tape. “Leverage” and therefore hopefully “execution” this kid has in abundance. As his raw lead pipe Mike Webster looking tree trunk arms sure do stand out sans any and all protection out on the field. This is the kinda throwback kid who walks the equator foregoing any and all sunscreen. This is the kinda kid who chews glass and spits nails. This kid is a former two-time Virginia High School heavyweight wresting state champion. This kid plays nasty with a very high octane red-line kinda motor. This is a kid who can “drink from my canteen any day” and this kid really should be a 3-year fixture as a starting VT Center before going Pro.
- Logan Thomas (Qb): Ah yes, I can hear it now: “bourbonstreet are you drunk?” Not yet. “bourbonstreet
have you lost your mind?” Why? Have you seen it? Seriously folks, this kid could be listed as high as second or third as raw physical talent goes. However, there is no way around the Experience Curve or the Learning curve alike. On top of that I was a bit unsettled by the recent hints of L.T. having a tired-arm this early in camp; and having thrown his arm out on occasion in the past. Nor do I like the sailing of the football from time-to-time, the over throws (i.e. too much velocity) on the short-stuff and the deep ball that comes from an arm that can throw it from here to Kentucky, only thing is that it might land in Tennessee. Yes, there are signs of improvement, his follow through looks better compared to springtime, ditto his short drop (think: 3-step) footwork. That said, this towering Messiah of a Qb is still something of a work-in-process. Recall it was only ~24 months ago that the #1 Te recruit in the land was unhappy that he got moved from Te to Qb.Then he spent most of year number one sitting over on the sideline with he sneaks off so you could see just how big his feet truly are. Yes this is an all-A.c.c. Qb just waiting to happen. Just ask 2013. - James Brooks (right-G): our fifth best offensive football player was second-string all-A.c.c. last year b’street? Yah, I know, I know. That’s what makes this list so fun. It is subjective from stem to stern. Speaking of subjectivity, to me; Mr. Brooks is a B+ right-side offensive Guard from top to bottom. He’s pretty good as a pass-blocker goes, he’s pretty good as a run blocker goes and does merit points for his ability to fold block to the second layer. He’s pretty heady; he’s pretty experienced, he’s pretty good sized. None of that is a B- or less, every bit as much as none of that is an A- or more. This is a pretty good football player who is about two bricks shy of an elite load. However, that’s still pretty damn good overall.
- Danny Coale (Flanker): see above
Nah, just kidding; though this too is a pretty good D-1 football player. Just not a truly great one. Good hands? Ask Nebraska. Heady route runner with surprising speed? Ask Boston College. A savvy, fearless kid capable of getting dirty while making driving catches? Ask Worsham Field. Starting Punter for 2011? Don’t ask me, and don’t ask our Special Teams coach either. If our Flanker is our starting Punter Frank Beamer might wanna get after his Special Teams coach for a change. That said, this also is a very good senior year football player who very likely has the softest hands left on the team; that, along with his disrespected speed, make Danny Coale a Arena football kinda Pro. - Greg Nosal (left-Guard)**: if there were an offensive toughness ranking write-up this kid would surely be ranked number one; hands down. Well, maybe that’s finger down and right shoulder braced back up. Talk about playing in pain? Geez! There is a line from the Airplane movie franchise that harkens back to: “including the colon” or perhaps the one from Full Metal Jacket that goes: “…he’s got guts, and guts is enough!” This is indeed one tough nut to crack, as you almost have to be nuts keep playing in a football game while the VT training staff is using timeouts to search the playing field for your severed left pinkie. Ditto playing last year with a right shoulder that was all braced up that needed more than a little off-season work. This kid is solid if not spectacular, more parts substance and less parts style. Steady, reliable, dependable, and tough as nails. You just kan’t have too many Greg Nosal’s on your football team.
- Andrew Lanier (blind-side Ot): Andrew’s ranking slipped a bit with me after seeing him report back to school off of a self-admitted junk food binging summer. Yes, Andrew needed to add some strength and what I like to call right-mass or muscle. Yes he added some of that, though he also added a noticeable gut that hangs over his football belt-line which has left me wondering if his pass-blocking, fold-blocking and or endurance will suffer? That said –I do expect his initial push when he does engage in run-blocking to improve with the extra weight. Don’t forget that this kid is a Te by trade playing outta position at left-Ot. Last season Lanier struggled to keep his listed 282 lbs. on as he lost weight all year long. This year he has found nearly a full 20 lbs. of mass. While it is true that I wanna evaluate him in person this August to see how well he moves in protection of L.T.’s wallet, I can say that I am wondering out loud if 20 lbs. was about 5-8 lbs. too much?
- Chris Drager (Tight End): this is a kid who has taken more than one for the team. In fact he has taken a blown-out A.C.L, and a concussion syndrome to his melon for good ole V.P.I. Not to mention playing three positions in three years, even if he will be playing one position twice. Yes, that does demonstrate a team-first second and third attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes. It also has resulted in a medial jacket that shows more than a few bumps and bruises along the way for a kid who was once thought to have fringe Pro Te potential. If Chris can remain healthy for all 13 games this season, than tenth best is prolly a couple of spots too low as this is a pretty savvy all-around football player no matter where you ask him to line-up.
- Fullback: (Phillips/Scales): I do not see much argument that the Fullback position is eleventh outta eleven or low man on the O&M totem pole. That said each VT Fullback has some nifty attributes: Mr. Phillips is about as strong as he can be for only being 5`10“ in height which makes him a natural to get under a defender’s pads as a battering-ram prototypical lead blocker. Mr. Scales brings some nice moves to the spot as a running Fullback goes, the likes of which we’ve not seen this side of Marcus Parker. Only caveat here being: how much will we see the 2011 VT Fullback out on the playing field in the first place? Last year the true VT Fullback(s) were in on about 22 plays per game combined or just under 33% of the time. Of that amount of snaps, a handful or two were situational substitutions snaps or goal line broken-T formation work. Thus making it very tough to rank the Fullback position any higher than 11 outta 11 when the Virginia Tech Fullback plays so little.
* “strained” pectoral, out 2-4 weeks
** bum right shoulder that has been slow to fully heal; out a week give or take
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“LET’S GO!”
“HOKIES!”
b’street
Boykin