VT Offensive Issues

[RTR_UA#1]

It sometimes seems that the running backs we have had in the recent past that "didn't like getting hit" were the ones that would run up to the line and dance around only to get tackled for a loss. I like the odds of tackling an opposing RB that doesn't like getting hit. I have always thought a good agressive hard hitting RB could do more damage than a shifty dancer.

 

[freefall]

Is this the same Oline that gave up 30+ sacks last year?

Not quite. Three starters return: LT Ed Wang, LG Sergio Render, and RT Blake DeChristopher. New are C Beau Warren and RG Jaymes Brooks. Warren has several starts to his credit over the last couple years, and Brooks started in the Orange Bowl last year after former starter Nick Marshman was declared academically ineligible.

My personal opinion is that moving Render to LG and replacing C Ryan Shuman and Marshman with Warren and Brooks will prove to be an upgrade in 2009. Nick was big and very strong (6'5", 340lb, 700lb squat) and was a force going straight ahead, but struggled to block in space. Brooks is a little smaller (6'2", 300lbs) but is nearly as strong and is more athletic. I think he'll be just as good at run-blocking and will be better in pass- or zone-blocking situations where he's required to move laterally. It will be interesting to see if we open up our splits any as a result. At C, Warren has apparently put on some weight so size-wise he's identical to Shuman (6'3", 290). Of course he's still giving up 50+ lbs to T Cody, so that's an obvious area of concern. In any event, I still say that this year's line will be better, particularly with Wang and Render together on the left side.

Another important factor is the aforementioned "starts" stat. Combined, those five guys have 100 starts between them, and all that game experience can't but help... assuming that we avoid any more serious injuries, of course. _frown:

Is this the same TT that threw 7 interceptions and only 2 TD's last year?

Yup. You can decide for yourself how much of that you want to attribute to an OL that wasn't very good at pass blocking and a bunch of freshman receivers. Or you can assume that Tyrod's just not any good. Your choice.

I will say, having (re)watched the UA vs. OM game last night, that I think that you are underestimating your vulnerability against a mobile QB. Snead made several key runs that kept drives going in the 2nd half. You could argue that Tyrod wouldn't have made all of the throws that Snead made, which ALSO helped keep several of those drives going, and you might well be right. But Tyrod doesn't have to actually run to affect the game with his feet... the mere threat of him breaking contain and taking off will likely open things up, especially in the middle, where we will have a trio of experienced TEs working. And when he does take off and run, IMO he's going to do a lot more damage than Snead did.

I know, I know, that was last year's team, it was just one game, you guys had an issue with finishing after jumping out to big leads, you woulda knocked Tyrod out in the first half, etc. And obviously as VT fans we want to see Tyrod pass more and run less, but I'm just sayin... you can boil it down to "2 TDs and 7 INTs" if you want, but there's a lot more to it than that IMO.

Can these two runningbacks run over Mt. Cody, Hightower, McClain?

Those three are formidable, and better yet, they're proven. With DE out, none of our RBs have any significant game experience. So anyone who claims to be able to answer your question EITHER WAY is selling something.

But I'll turn that around on you: David Wilson ran a 4.33 forty. If he gets loose, can any of those three guys catch him? Even Arenas isn't that fast, and trust me, you do NOT want Arenas being forced to tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

you do NOT want Arenas being forced to tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.

Correct, but Arenas is the best tackler among the DBs, and, probably, the whole team...

 

[bamacpa70]

But I'll turn that around on you: David Wilson ran a 4.33 forty. If he gets loose, can any of those three guys catch him? Even Arenas isn't that fast, and trust me, you do NOT want Arenas being forced to tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.

Freefall, I really like your posts so don't take this the wrong way, but I am really tired of hearing this stat. Do you know how many people ran a 40 time that fast at last year's NFL combine? 1. And they pay people real money based on their physiscal skills so the times are real. Now you can keep telling yourself that and making yourself feel better, but it really takes creditbility away from your posts. I don't care what the VT media guide says. And Tyrod ain't 6'1", I've stood next to him.

Wooo, I feel so much better now. :redface:

 

[scottsborobama]

I will say, having (re)watched the UA vs. OM game last night, that I think that you are underestimating your vulnerability against a mobile QB. Snead made several key runs that kept drives going in the 2nd half. You could argue that Tyrod wouldn't have made all of the throws that Snead made, which ALSO helped keep several of those drives going, and you might well be right. But Tyrod doesn't have to actually run to affect the game with his feet... the mere threat of him breaking contain and taking off will likely open things up, especially in the middle, where we will have a trio of experienced TEs working. And when he does take off and run, IMO he's going to do a lot more damage than Snead did.

The argument I would make against this is that Snead is much more of a passing threat than TT is. With that said, I think that it is comparing apples to oranges. Had Bama zeroed in on Snead as a running threat instead of having to respect his passing ability, he probably wouldn't have had the runs that he had against Bama.

 

[freefall]

Freefall, I really like your posts so don't take this the wrong way, but I am really tired of hearing this stat.

No offense taken, although I think you're splitting hairs and missing the point. The interesting thing isn't whether he ran a 4.3 or a 4.4, it's that there's only a few guys at RB with that kind of speed. To use your example, only four RBs ran a 4.4x at the '09 combine, and NONE ran a 4.3x. Oh and while we're on a hair-splitting exercise here, I'll point out that four different WRs ran a 4.3x forty at the combine (Heyward-Bey, Wallace, Knox, and Butler).

But anyway, let's assume that he's lying when he said that he actually ran a 4.28 once, and let's forget that he's a repeat national champ in T&F. Let's also assume that VT's published 40 times are faster than reality for whatever reason. There seems to be wide consensus that he ran a 4.4 forty in high school, before he ever set foot on VT's "fast" track or got near VT's media guys. I'll have to trust the scouts/rivals/etc folks on that one since neither you nor I have personally timed him.

Given all that, I'll ask again: if he breaks loose, can Cody, Hightower, or McLain catch him? Only Arenas is faster, and trust me, you do NOT want Arenas to be forced to tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.

Wooo, I feel so much better now. :redface:

Glad I could help! :cool2:

 

[bamacpa70]

No offense taken, although I think you're splitting hairs and missing the point. The interesting thing isn't whether he ran a 4.3 or a 4.4, it's that there's only a few guys at RB with that kind of speed. To use your example, only four RBs ran a 4.4x at the '09 combine, and NONE ran a 4.3x. Oh and while we're on a hair-splitting exercise here, I'll point out that four different WRs ran a 4.3x forty at the combine (Heyward-Bey, Wallace, Knox, and Butler).

But anyway, let's assume that he's lying when he said that he actually ran a 4.28 once, and let's forget that he's a repeat national champ in T&F. Let's also assume that VT's published 40 times are faster than reality for whatever reason. There seems to be wide consensus that he ran a 4.4 forty in high school, before he ever set foot on VT's "fast" track or got near VT's media guys. I'll have to trust the scouts/rivals/etc folks on that one since neither you nor I have personally timed him.



Given all that, I'll ask again: if he breaks loose, can Cody, Hightower, or McLain catch him? Only Arenas is faster, and trust me, you do NOT want Arenas to be forced to be tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.


Glad I could help! :cool2:

What? No comment on Tyrod's heighth? :biggrin:

 

[buzzincuzzin]

Anybody who don't think David Wilson is plenty-fast-and-then-some must have a bad Internet connection. Same goes for Tired-rod. Where they run will be the key. Both have a tendency to go strong-side wide. I've watch dozens and dozens videos on T-rod and he heads for the nearest sideline every time. Two times he attacked the middle of the field and one of those was a called QB draw from 5yds out for a TD. He WILL get loose but,,,, they know right where to find him.

 

[BamaJama17]

The only threat they pose will be TT's legs. Other than that, I'm not worried a bit. I'm more concerned about our offensive production than their's.

True, TT's legs are not something to be taken lightly. I know our D is top 3 against the run but if VT can get inside our 20, thats when we gotta watch out for a QB scramble.

With the loss of Evans, I to am worried about our offensive production more than theirs.

 

[bamapride79]

My biggest concern is that TT will break contain and make some plays with his feet. Otherwise I'm pretty confident that our defense will control the line of scrimmage and shut down VT's running attack.

 

[REBELZED]

I just can't believe that in that interview Williams BRAGGED about blatantly disregarding his coaches' orders and then made it seem like the coaches were OK with it. Could you imagine if one of OUR RB's even tried something like that, much less went on record about it?

 

[tidefan39817]

ACC............Almost Competitive Conference

 

[hokies1811]

I wouldn't read too much into that interview. Ryan Williams is kind of an interesting guy, and he really seems to have fun with the media. He's a shifty back and I think he prides himself on that, but I don't think he will shy away from contact when it is needed. He'll be ready to play and to do whatever it takes to help his team.

 

[Nomad_Hokie]

Fwiw; I don't think you guys will see much of Wilson at RB. He's definitely a dynamic player, but I think our RB coach will have a hard time trusting a true freshman in such a big first game. All reports are saying that Wilson is different; he came to school prepared both physicall and mentally, has a decent grasp of the playbook already, and those factors might get him on the field, but I'll be shocked if he gets anymore than 10 touches on O.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised to see him returning kicks and playing special teams, but I don't think he'll be a pivotal part of our offensive gameplan either. He'll just be too green.

WRT the 4.33 time, I think that may be the fastest on our team, and if it isn't, it's close, which is the most relevant point imho.

Sidenote: This is just my opinion, and I doubt there will be too many Hokies agreeing with me.

 

[BAMA504]

My point in this topic is that TT is not going to be running north and south to much with Cody, Ro Mac and Hightower in the middle so he will be forced outside where our faster players roam. I can only hope Barron lands the safety spot which he seems to have made a move cause if he gets a shot on TT you might be looking at your 2nd string QB the rest of the game. Barron hits like a tank just go watch some of his special teams hits from last year.
Don't see what all the fuss is about TT is not dual threat he is a running threat which means BAMA will man up on the outside and force everything to the middle of the field where our slow LB's hang out....... This is gonna be one good game~!~

 

[freefall]

The argument I would make against this is that Snead is much more of a passing threat than TT is. With that said, I think that it is comparing apples to oranges. Had Bama zeroed in on Snead as a running threat instead of having to respect his passing ability, he probably wouldn't have had the runs that he had against Bama.

I agree with your points re: Snead but disagree on the apples/oranges thing. Snead had at least some success precisely because you did NOT "zero in on Snead as a running threat". If you zero in on Tyrod as a running threat then he might not have a lot of success running the ball, but he will have opportunities in the passing game because guys are cheating the run. Whether or not he can take advantage of those opportunities remains to be seen, obviously.

Of course, to hear some folks talk about it, Tyrod can't hit the broad side of a barn in three tries, in which case you have nothing to worry about!

 

[bamaslaw]

40 times are useless for so many reasons - primarily because they're not run in pads with blockers and so forth. Hand-timed 40s are typically much faster than electronic, which is why you see a number of guys (particularly from Florida) who show up to the combine and can't run what the media guide says they can. In addition, there are a number of fast players who do not set up blocks well and never seem to quite fulfill potential.

However, I have no doubt that the kid is dang fast, probably faster in pure speed than anyone on our defense. But Wallace for Ole Miss was the same way and we held him to 2 catches for 24 yards. Demps for Florida is on a track the fastest player in college football and he only had 16 carries for 54 yards.

I am not saying Wilson can't make an impact - anyone with that speed can. But you don't have to be able to play stride for stride with a guy to contain him.

 

[uafootball92]

Given all that, I'll ask again: if he breaks loose, can Cody, Hightower, or McLain catch him? Only Arenas is faster, and trust me, you do NOT want Arenas to be forced to tackle David Wilson on a regular basis.

I think IF is the big word right there. If speed was the only thing that made you good in football, we would have nothing but track people out there. But, this is football, not a foot race. Yes, speed is great, but DBs and LBs aren't going to try and race anyone. They are already ahead of them on the field, if you are looking from a "distance from the endzone" standpoint. They don't need to catch him, they just need to hit him.

 

[scottsborobama]

I agree with your points re: Snead but disagree on the apples/oranges thing. Snead had at least some success precisely because you did NOT "zero in on Snead as a running threat". If you zero in on Tyrod as a running threat then he might not have a lot of success running the ball, but he will have opportunities in the passing game because guys are cheating the run. Whether or not he can take advantage of those opportunities remains to be seen, obviously.

Of course, to hear some folks talk about it, Tyrod can't hit the broad side of a barn in three tries, in which case you have nothing to worry about!

What I was focusing on is the running part of the equation with TT. Now, I agree with you on the passing aspect in that if Bama zeros in on his legs he could make some plays with his arm, however, thus far Snead has proven the ability to be more of a running threat than TT has proven to be a passing threat. But who knows, the coaches and TT could have fixed some mechanics and decision making and he could come out as a competent passer. Snead's rushing statistics are gonna show sacks which will take away from his yardage if you try to do some research, but he scored more TDs on the ground than TT did through the air.

At any rate, Bama vs. VT is gonna be a heck of a game!