Going forward into next season

[Camfantasy]

Kyle Fuller ‏@kbfuller17

Really glad @KENyoufeelmee is finally a #HOKIE and look forward to the chance to play with him for a year

Sounds like he plans on sticking around

yessssssssssss..... now we just need Logan and Gayle's brothers to commit to VT.

 

[VTscores]

I thought this was a pretty interesting read from a statistics perspective.

2012 Virginia Tech Football Preview: Fending Off The Pendulum Swing - SBNation.com

 

[robV703]

I think people are underselling our passing attack for next season. Here are three reasons why:

1. Our receiving core (assuming Coles and Roberts bounce back from their injuries, which I guess is a big if) has twice the physical talent as Boykin and Cole ever did. We are bigger, faster, and stronger. DJ Coles was better than Boykin last year IMO. The real question is can someone emulate Danny Cole's remarkable production. I'm hoping Roberts can be that guy, as you have to figure he is the most savvy of the group having had significant playing time over his whole career. I think we will use Roberts in the same way we used Cole last year.

2. I don't think our play at OT will take that big a hit. Lanier was a liability last season, especially in our losses to Clemson. I think that Becton will be an improvement. Losing DeChristopher will hurt, but Painter has shown enough promise this year to make me think he will be solid. If not then Via is more than capable again assuming he recovers OK.

3. Logan Thomas. That is all.

 

[robV703]

I am however very worried about our rushing attack. I am not at all convinced that our guards are ready to go and I think our inside run game is going to hurt. This is especially bad because we don't have a guy who is going to be able to bounce it outside with the same effectiveness as Wilson. I was not impressed with what I saw from Coleman (I think he has great potential, but I don't think he'll be ready for GT.) Holmes and Scales I fear are going to have a hard time running between the tackes.

I expect us to throw the ball more this year than at any time in our history.

 

[bigesse16]

This is going to be one of the more athletic offenses VT has seen. The problem is that they just haven't been consistent thus far. Davis, Coles, and Roberts have much more big play capabilities than Boykin and Coale, but they are not as dependent. That could be a big deal because with a freshman RB corp, we need a balanced attack this year.

The starting O-Line should be ok, maybe very good. But there is almost no depth. If there is an injury to the tackle positions, we are in serious trouble.

 

[VTfoozball]

Becton was just as bad against Clemson as Lanier was maybe worse. It's going to be interesting to see what the rushing game looks like without a stud RB. If the run blocking is poor there isn't going to be an amazing athlete back there to hide it. If this years O-line is a disappointment then next years will also be. At that point I hope Newsome is history

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

This is going to be one of the more athletic offenses VT has seen. The problem is that they just haven't been consistent thus far. Davis, Coles, and Roberts have much more big play capabilities than Boykin and Coale, but they are not as dependent. That could be a big deal because with a freshman RB corp, we need a balanced attack this year.

The starting O-Line should be ok, maybe very good. But there is almost no depth. If there is an injury to the tackle positions, we are in serious trouble.

I think that Coles is just as consistent. He just doesn't have the resume' at this point. I don't remember seeing him drop a ball or fall backward on a hit ever.

 

[sparko]

I agree ... DJ Coles, in parts of the last season, looked like our best receiver. He will be a consistent, dependable guy. He just was shown up by two of the most consistent receivers that we'll ever see as Hokie fans. Dyrell has had his moments, just riddle with injuries. Davis SHOULD be a top 10 receiver (in NCAA) after this season -- but he hasn't been good enough up to this point.

What I'm worried about is what our receiving corps will look like after this season .. practically NO experience. Hopefully, some of these big recruits (Caleb) will be the real deal, Eugene Lewis--come on down, would be nice to see some dark horses (Stanford) pan out, and would be nice to get a frosh who can impact immediately (Kamara??) ... Hamilton would be a really good get this cycle -- F you Robert Lockhart

 

[hokiegrad]

The starting O-Line should be ok, maybe very good. But there is almost no depth. If there is an injury to the tackle positions, we are in serious trouble.

I'm not sure I follow that last bit. We've got 3 dependable tackes in Becton, Painter, and Via. If one goes down, we should be ok. If we lose two, that's when we'd really be in trouble, right? I'm more concerned about OG/C. But even there, Via could fill in, and the coaches seem to have high hopes for Farris and a couple others inside, even if it does seem a bit early. Would be growing pains, I'm sure, but hopefully we wouldn't be too bad off. I don't know... I'm not as worried about the line this year as most seem to be.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I agree ... DJ Coles, in parts of the last season, looked like our best receiver. He will be a consistent, dependable guy. He just was shown up by two of the most consistent receivers that we'll ever see as Hokie fans. Dyrell has had his moments, just riddle with injuries. Davis SHOULD be a top 10 receiver (in NCAA) after this season -- but he hasn't been good enough up to this point.

What I'm worried about is what our receiving corps will look like after this season .. practically NO experience. Hopefully, some of these big recruits (Caleb) will be the real deal, Eugene Lewis--come on down, would be nice to see some dark horses (Stanford) pan out, and would be nice to get a frosh who can impact immediately (Kamara??) ... Hamilton would be a really good get this cycle -- F you Robert Lockhart

BOth Stanford and Caleb will compete for playing time this year. Stanford was a steal for us. He is an incredible route runner and has great hands. He is just a little undersized.

Down the line, I like Mark Irick as a leaper and think that Charlie Meyer will earn a scholly. Add in Smiling (still a bit of an unknown) and Thomas Smith and it will be an interesting couple of years.

 

[Camfantasy]

I really wish Coles had taken a redshirt back in the day.... I knew that was going to piss me off before it was over with.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I really wish Coles had taken a redshirt back in the day.... I knew that was going to piss me off before it was over with.

He had already prepped and was older when he started, I believe. If his injury becomes re-aggrevated in August (he still is not 100%) he has that option still there.

Let's hope not though. He was great last year. He is fantastic after the catch.

 

[VTscores]

A Washington Post profile of Beckton and Painter.

Virginia Tech OTs Nick Becton and Vinston Painter finally get their shot - Hokies Journal - The Washington Post

 

[bigesse16]

I think that Coles is just as consistent. He just doesn't have the resume' at this point. I don't remember seeing him drop a ball or fall backward on a hit ever.

I think he can be, but his recovery is going much slower than expected and he may have to redshirt if things don't progress soon. I doubt that happens, but there could be some issues getting back into the swing of things without playing all spring.

I'm not sure I follow that last bit. We've got 3 dependable tackes in Becton, Painter, and Via. If one goes down, we should be ok. If we lose two, that's when we'd really be in trouble, right? I'm more concerned about OG/C. But even there, Via could fill in, and the coaches seem to have high hopes for Farris and a couple others inside, even if it does seem a bit early. Would be growing pains, I'm sure, but hopefully we wouldn't be too bad off. I don't know... I'm not as worried about the line this year as most seem to be.

I'm not sure any of these guys are considered dependable right now since they've all played sparingly. OG/C is another concern with depth, but I feel that it is easier for a guy to step in right away than the tackles. We do a fairly solid job at run blocking compared to pass protection (although last year it was the complete opposite). Really we can't afford any injury on the line right now. Hopefully guys play well in Fall practice.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

We really need to bat 1.000 with Conte, Taraschke, Osterloh, Pfaff, Willenbrock and Chung.

 

[Camfantasy]

He had already prepped and was older when he started, I believe. If his injury becomes re-aggrevated in August (he still is not 100%) he has that option still there.

Let's hope not though. He was great last year. He is fantastic after the catch.

Yea....but only participated in 14 offensive plays his freshman year. No point in not taking a shirt (imo) if you are only getting 14 snaps in a whole season. I believe it was his choice not to shirt that season though....so it's not the coaching staff's fault.

 

[Sleepy T]

He had already prepped and was older when he started, I believe. If his injury becomes re-aggrevated in August (he still is not 100%) he has that option still there.

Let's hope not though. He was great last year. He is fantastic after the catch.

Agreed, If we are going to make a true run then this will be the year to do it (as opposed to the next couple to follow anyways). If LT plays well enough and leaves for the league, then next year surely would be a rebuilding one (at least on offense). Not saying we wouldn't win games, but expectations would be lower than they have been in awhile. There is no need to shirt DJ unless his injury makes us do it. With that being said, we need all of our offensive playmakers on the field and they need to play well. I think Coles is the most consistent out of what will be LT's main targets... DJ, Roberts, and Davis. Defense will keep us in EVERY game this year and with the depth on the defensive front may just win us some games. If the line plays well, RB's step up, everyone stays healthy (I know..alot has to happen). Hey the schedule is manageable...if everything goes our way, then the sky is the limit this year.

 

[VTfoozball]

"Really we can't afford any injury on the line right now."

Whose fault is that? If Newsome can't produce a good line this year and a respectable one next year then I hope to god Beamer gets rid of him. Enough is enough. He's had plenty of time to get settled and show what he can do. This "family atmosphere" stuff should only go so far. There has to be some accountability

 

[757vt]

Its wierd how no one is talking about Michael Holmes alot. Call me crazy but hes going to be better than what most people imagined, and better than any runningbacks we have on our roster right now. He looks slow on film but he has sneaky speed, runs faster than most think because he has long strides and he'll have better vision than what David Wilson had. Anyone else thinks the same?

 

[hokiegrad]

I'm not sure any of these guys are considered dependable right now since they've all played sparingly. OG/C is another concern with depth, but I feel that it is easier for a guy to step in right away than the tackles. We do a fairly solid job at run blocking compared to pass protection (although last year it was the complete opposite). Really we can't afford any injury on the line right now. Hopefully guys play well in Fall practice.

Dependable probably isn't the right word. Yes, there are questions about everyone but Miller, but overwhelming concerns about none of the starters + Via who can fill in wherever. If one goes down it shouldn't be the end of the world. Certainly not good, but recoverable. It's just my opinion, of course, but "we can't afford any injury on the line right now" seems to be going a bit too far. We should be able to take a single hit anywhere on the line.