What change would you make to college football's spring football system?
Where's The Ice responds:
In this respect (like many others), in Beamer and Foster I trust.
MadJay responds:
College spring football needs to have the ability to scrimmage one opponent. The players get tired of hitting the sleds and each other and the coaches can come up with non-conference opponents that can agree to play one scrimmage against each other. Make it a home-and-home deal so that each school has to travel every other year or pay a Div. I-AA school to come to campus just like during the fall. You can still "yellow-jersey" the QB's if you want, eliminate blitzes, whatever the coaches agree on. Don't let it become a full football game - we don't want to replace the annual Spring Games that take place every year. But playing a quarter or two against another opponent can show the coaches from both sides a lot about their team, especially in determining who on the 2nd string is ready to play. And it will generate even more buzz and interest in spring football which is a good thing.
[Editor's note: Ooooh! Good answer Jay! Me like.]
EhhTee responds:
More cowbell. Seriously. I’ve got a fever or something.
Honestly, I want to see the same intensity that we saw in December when the team was prepping for the Orange Bowl. Both in the spring and the fall.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Question Three: Defense
What position do you think is most important to the Hokies on the defensive side of the ball this spring? Are there any young players who will step up during spring on that side of the ball?
MadJay responds:
Most folks are saying the linebacker position but that is not correct. Yes the two new linebackers are important, but we all know Coach Foster is going to have Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers ready to get after it by the time fall rolls around and frankly, while there is a drop in experience, those two are an upgrade in talent from last year. The real answer for most important position this spring is field corner. Stephan Virgil moves over to boundary corner to fill the spot vacated by Macho Harris and we all know Virgil is a star. But field corner is being battled out between Rock Carmichael, Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley. Carmichael is the least talented of the 3, but has the most experience. Hill has all the physical tools but hasn't been able to put it together mentally and Whitley is one of those kids who "gets it" but is probably half a step slower than the other two. My guess is that Whitley ends up backing up Virgil at boundary, but someone is going to have to step-up between Hill and Carmichael and own that field corner position. The reason this is the most important is because the Hokies excel at making teams one-dimensional and then shutting them down. If you don't have the wide side of the field covered with a great field corner, you can't cheat your safety/rover up into run support and it's difficult to make an opponent one-dimensional. Also, teams will shy away from Virgil who tied for 8th in the nation last year with 6 picks. The key question for the defense this spring is if they can uncover another star at field corner.
EhhTee responds:
Well the loss of Orion Martin is gonna be big. TSL is reporting a list of position changes and John Graves will be moving over from tackle to end. Purnell Sturdivant at backer is another key loss. However, I'm going to say that the Hokies will struggle where they've historically struggled: the secondary. The absolute biggest loss the Hokies will have to replace at any position, offense or defense, will be that of Mr Victor Harris. Not only, was he an amazing corner, but his leadership on defense is irreplaceable. Stephan Virgil can and will be an amazing corner and he will move from field corner to boundary corner leaving what could be a big hole at FC. The FC role will be competed for by a number of players. This is the position to watch as practice continues.
Where's The Ice responds:
Cornerback, cornerback, cornerback! Filling Victor "Macho" Harris' shoes are a big pair of shoes to fill. Somebody has to step up and play his role in two respects, although the same player may not fill both roles. Obviously, Harris was a fantastic corner, but defensive coordinator Bud Foster knows how to identify talent, and he knows how to shape it. By three games into the season or less, there will be no question in the eyes of Hokie fans who's evolving into the mold of Macho Harris' position. The other role that somebody needs to fill is that of on-the-field leader. Harris' personality and gusto for the game made him naturally suited to that role, and his fellow teammates viewed him that way. Every squad needs an on the field leader, and out of training camp somebody needs to assertively take that role in such a manner that the other 10 players on the squad respect him and recognize him in that mold. How this will develop is a hard thing to predict and upon which to speculate, but let me just say that I have confidence that somebody will naturally grow into this role 1/4 the way through the season. If we lose one of our big games early, it'll be very apparent who this player is in the games shortly thereafter.
MadJay responds:
Most folks are saying the linebacker position but that is not correct. Yes the two new linebackers are important, but we all know Coach Foster is going to have Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers ready to get after it by the time fall rolls around and frankly, while there is a drop in experience, those two are an upgrade in talent from last year. The real answer for most important position this spring is field corner. Stephan Virgil moves over to boundary corner to fill the spot vacated by Macho Harris and we all know Virgil is a star. But field corner is being battled out between Rock Carmichael, Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley. Carmichael is the least talented of the 3, but has the most experience. Hill has all the physical tools but hasn't been able to put it together mentally and Whitley is one of those kids who "gets it" but is probably half a step slower than the other two. My guess is that Whitley ends up backing up Virgil at boundary, but someone is going to have to step-up between Hill and Carmichael and own that field corner position. The reason this is the most important is because the Hokies excel at making teams one-dimensional and then shutting them down. If you don't have the wide side of the field covered with a great field corner, you can't cheat your safety/rover up into run support and it's difficult to make an opponent one-dimensional. Also, teams will shy away from Virgil who tied for 8th in the nation last year with 6 picks. The key question for the defense this spring is if they can uncover another star at field corner.
EhhTee responds:
Well the loss of Orion Martin is gonna be big. TSL is reporting a list of position changes and John Graves will be moving over from tackle to end. Purnell Sturdivant at backer is another key loss. However, I'm going to say that the Hokies will struggle where they've historically struggled: the secondary. The absolute biggest loss the Hokies will have to replace at any position, offense or defense, will be that of Mr Victor Harris. Not only, was he an amazing corner, but his leadership on defense is irreplaceable. Stephan Virgil can and will be an amazing corner and he will move from field corner to boundary corner leaving what could be a big hole at FC. The FC role will be competed for by a number of players. This is the position to watch as practice continues.
Where's The Ice responds:
Cornerback, cornerback, cornerback! Filling Victor "Macho" Harris' shoes are a big pair of shoes to fill. Somebody has to step up and play his role in two respects, although the same player may not fill both roles. Obviously, Harris was a fantastic corner, but defensive coordinator Bud Foster knows how to identify talent, and he knows how to shape it. By three games into the season or less, there will be no question in the eyes of Hokie fans who's evolving into the mold of Macho Harris' position. The other role that somebody needs to fill is that of on-the-field leader. Harris' personality and gusto for the game made him naturally suited to that role, and his fellow teammates viewed him that way. Every squad needs an on the field leader, and out of training camp somebody needs to assertively take that role in such a manner that the other 10 players on the squad respect him and recognize him in that mold. How this will develop is a hard thing to predict and upon which to speculate, but let me just say that I have confidence that somebody will naturally grow into this role 1/4 the way through the season. If we lose one of our big games early, it'll be very apparent who this player is in the games shortly thereafter.
Question Two: The Quarterbacks
From Beer Control Offense,
"Are you concerned about the lack of depth of quarterback? How many significant snaps do you think VT's back up quarterback will get?"
EhhTee responds:
Beer Control Offense,
Kreese: Sweep the leg.
Johnny: ...
Kreese: Do you have a problem with that?
Johnny: No, Sensei.
Kreese: No mercy.
To totally teen out for a bit, OMG YES! Let's put it this way: Taylor's injury prone. His ankle has been a real problem and if the strength coaches don't work on getting it stronger, we have Ju-Ju Clayton, Jeff Beyer, and Marcus Davis all of whom have never seen a snap in line to relieve him. Put another way, the entire season very well may rest upon on one ankle. If the ankle survives, we'll do well, if not extremely well. If it doesn't, well no JC Penny “black” belt for you, SuperFan.
Where's The Ice responds:
It centers around a rushing quarterback who has improved his throwing game, but has not demonstrated consistency in execution. A quarterback rushing offense may get you some headway in a majority of your ACC contests, but you can't build an offense around that strategy. Sean Glennon is gone, so we don't have an experienced, consistent thrower to add into the mix. And to more pointedly address the question, we don't have a backup with any experience, Tyrod Taylor has been injured for at least one game in each of the seasons he's played, and albeit a superb athlete Taylor hasn't demonstrated to me as a fan that he has a firm grasp of his position. As a rising Junior, he knows he has a lot to prove in the eyes of a potential NFL career, and this may well be the season that his maturity comes into form. He has a good core of up and coming receivers and tight ends. He has at least two solid running backs returning. The offensive line will be a question, and that's the biggest problem because he won't have an abundance of opportunity to develop the pocket passing aspect of this game. Is all of this adversity something he and the Hokies can overcome? Absolutely, and if they do overcome it, I'll have to revise my answer to question 1!
MadJay responds:
Unlike many, I am not concerned about back-up quarterback. JuJu Clayton by all accounts is more than serviceable at QB. He will surprise some of you and he will likely be needed in a game or two this year given Taylor's propensity for taking some hard hits. Clayton's not going to win a game by himself back there as a redshirt freshman, and you can never tell until they are in the fire, but he looks to have the skills and poise necessary to keep from losing a game all by himself as well.
"Are you concerned about the lack of depth of quarterback? How many significant snaps do you think VT's back up quarterback will get?"
EhhTee responds:
Beer Control Offense,
Kreese: Sweep the leg.
Johnny: ...
Kreese: Do you have a problem with that?
Johnny: No, Sensei.
Kreese: No mercy.
To totally teen out for a bit, OMG YES! Let's put it this way: Taylor's injury prone. His ankle has been a real problem and if the strength coaches don't work on getting it stronger, we have Ju-Ju Clayton, Jeff Beyer, and Marcus Davis all of whom have never seen a snap in line to relieve him. Put another way, the entire season very well may rest upon on one ankle. If the ankle survives, we'll do well, if not extremely well. If it doesn't, well no JC Penny “black” belt for you, SuperFan.
Where's The Ice responds:
It centers around a rushing quarterback who has improved his throwing game, but has not demonstrated consistency in execution. A quarterback rushing offense may get you some headway in a majority of your ACC contests, but you can't build an offense around that strategy. Sean Glennon is gone, so we don't have an experienced, consistent thrower to add into the mix. And to more pointedly address the question, we don't have a backup with any experience, Tyrod Taylor has been injured for at least one game in each of the seasons he's played, and albeit a superb athlete Taylor hasn't demonstrated to me as a fan that he has a firm grasp of his position. As a rising Junior, he knows he has a lot to prove in the eyes of a potential NFL career, and this may well be the season that his maturity comes into form. He has a good core of up and coming receivers and tight ends. He has at least two solid running backs returning. The offensive line will be a question, and that's the biggest problem because he won't have an abundance of opportunity to develop the pocket passing aspect of this game. Is all of this adversity something he and the Hokies can overcome? Absolutely, and if they do overcome it, I'll have to revise my answer to question 1!
MadJay responds:
Unlike many, I am not concerned about back-up quarterback. JuJu Clayton by all accounts is more than serviceable at QB. He will surprise some of you and he will likely be needed in a game or two this year given Taylor's propensity for taking some hard hits. Clayton's not going to win a game by himself back there as a redshirt freshman, and you can never tell until they are in the fire, but he looks to have the skills and poise necessary to keep from losing a game all by himself as well.
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