Assessing Virginia Tech's New Football Coaches

This season, for the first time in two decades, Virginia Tech football was downright mediocre, so it was perfectly logical that the first coaching staff overhaul since 1992 would follow suit.

Back then, Frank Beamer was on the ropes after a 2-8-1 season and only kept his job after he let several of his assistant coaches go.

Jump to present day and there aren't many calling for Beamer's job—though there are some, which is mind-numbing.

Loyalty simply has its limits, and as Frank creeps further into his late sixties, he realizes he only has so many chances left at winning that elusive national championship.

Granted, it's been painfully obvious to most observers for about a decade that the offensive "system" in Blacksburg just wasn't cutting it, but at least change is finally afoot.

Still, change for the sake of change helps no one. So let's take a look at the three new coaches headed to the 540.

Scot Loeffler- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Bryan Stinespring has finally been relieved of OC duties, being reassigned to recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach. That brings to town Scot Loeffler (LEFF-ler). 

Loeffler has an impressive track record of tutoring quarterbacks and his references are even better. He's helped send six QBs to the NFL, including Tom Brady, Brian Griese and yes even Timmy Tebow. 

He came highly recommended to Beamer by coaches like current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and former Michigan head man Lloyd Carr. 

The only knock on Loeffler is that he has very little experience as an offensive coordinator.

He was the OC at Temple in 2011 when the Owls finished 9-4 and ranked 7th in the nation in rushing offense. Last year he went to Auburn where the offense—and everything else—struggled greatly.

The Tigers finished 115th in total offense and 112th in scoring out of 120 FBS teams.

The good news is, I think those issues are more indicative of Auburn's overall struggles under Gene Chizik. He wasn't a very good coach, he just got Cam Newton to go to Auburn under let's say, dubious circumstances, and parlayed that into a national championship.

Loeffler and the other new coaches are all young guys, (Scot is 38) yet he's amassed 15 years of coaching in the NFL and college.

Jeff Grimes- Offensive Line

Yes another coach from an unsuccessful offense, but one whose unit was a bright spot. 

Tre Mason rushed for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore in the SEC, and while the offense struggled in many facets a lot of that had to do with the quarterback play. 

The Tigers leading passer threw for 753 yards and the inconsistent play at that position led to high sacks allowed and tackles for loss numbers. 

Grimes was at Auburn since 2009 so he was there for the national championship run when the team set a myriad of school records on offense. 

He's also spent time at Colorado, Arizona State, BYU and Boise State. Grimes has helped send a number of players to the NFL and seems like he has the right mindset to restore the nastiness up front that was sorely lacking on the last few Hokie offensive lines.

Again, here's another young guy (43) who brings youth and energy to Beamer's staff. 

Aaron Moorehead- Wide Receivers

Moorehead is by far the youngest of the new coaches at just 32 years old and comes to Tech after having some success at Stanford.

Word is, he came highly recommended by former Stanford OC Pep Hamilton who interviewed for Tech's offensive coordinator slot before taking the same position with the Indianapolis Colts.

Moorehead played at Illinois before transitioning to the NFL where he earned a Super Bowl ring during his five seasons with the Colts.

Again, young, energetic and knows how to use Twitter. That sounds outrageous, but when your head coach is an old man who said a few years ago that he doesn't even know how to "log on" to the Internet, that's a big deal.

That's especially true given the new NCAA rules that will for some reason allow unlimited contact with recruits via private messages on Twitter and other social media as well as text messages.

Also, a young guy with three BCS bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring will certainly not hurt when attempting to relate to recruits.

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On the whole, I think these are good moves. It's an upgrade on the offensive line and at coordinator, and time will tell on the young receivers coach. The Hokies managed to keep their best recruiter (Stinespring) while also getting him away from the offensive game planning.

What more could you want??

Now will the results be immediate? Probably not. I could see the o-line coming in with a different mindset and maybe some new technique, but you can't develop players there in just a few months.

The offense will likely be a work in progress. Loeffler supposedly runs a complicated system. That doesn't mean lots of plays—New York Giants running back David Wilson said this season that his playbook at Tech had more plays than his with the NYG—it means lots of adjustments within those plays.

Make the correct reads at the line, adjust your protection and routes and BOOM touchdown! (said in Madden voice).

The biggest difference will hopefully be with Logan Thomas. He needs some help to realize his potential and he understands that, which is why he returned for his senior season. If he can refine his technique and learns this new system well enough, Tech can have a nice season and the problems can start to turn around.

It won't be overnight, but we'll all sleep better knowing Frank Beamer finally made the tough decision to make sweeping changes.

Few will sleep better than Bud Foster.

Hokies Embarrassed, Win Russell Athletic Bowl

"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

-President Gerald Ford

I knew the Russell Athletic Bowl would be ugly, but who knew we would witness one of the worst played games in college football history?

Virginia Tech won on a missed Rutgers field goal in overtime. The Hokies didn't score until the fourth quarter and Rutgers only scored three points on offense.

The lone Scarlet Knights touchdown came on a botched Hokie snap on the game's opening drive, when Logan Thomas inexplicably tried to pick the ball up and run before he fumbled in the endzone.

Replay seemed to show Thomas down for a safety, the first of many curious calls by the Big XII officiating crew.

The Hokies managed just three yards of rushing in this game. That's an average of 3.4 inches per carry.

The Tech fan base was completely apathetic about this game, myself included. I felt kind of bad, but I really just wanted to get it over with so we could get to the important business of finally making some offensive coaching changes.

Tech fans have been expecting such changes for years, but now it seems there is enough overwhelming evidence something must happen that not even Frank Beamer can 'aw shucks' his way around the issue.

Pete Roussel of Coachingsearch.com reported last night that Tech wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman will be leaving to accept a position at Purdue. Sherman refused to address the issue after last night's game.

That's just a drop in the bucket and to be sure, the receivers were far from the biggest issue on offense.

That being said, the routes have been awful for years. Several times last night in Orlando Logan Thomas expected wideouts to be somewhere else, throwing an interception on one such play.

The receivers haven't been consistent and their aversion to making blocks may speak to childhood instances of trouble with Legos.

More likely, they were poorly coached.

I expect much more to change with at least one coach "retiring" while others accept positions elsewhere before being outright canned.

It was a painful season, but perhaps it was necessary to get the changes Tech needs to get to the next level.

Ultimately, Tech had its worst season in 20 years and somehow still managed a winning record and a bowl victory.

Not bad with a bunch of incompetent coaches.

Logan Thomas and the Hokies Need a New Mindset

Quarterback Logan Thomas was visibly upset in the waning moments of Virginia Tech's disheartening 30-12 loss to the Miami Hurricanes Thursday in Miami Gardens.

The frustration was understandable given how Logan played and the number of blown opportunities by the Tech offense.

For his part, Thomas threw for 199 yards and added 124 yards on the ground that included a lumbering 73-yard touchdown straight up the middle on a busted play. 

The problem for Thomas were his two interceptions and a fumble on the Miami goal line. He also overthrew a wide open fullback on a 4th and 1 play that was an excellent call that simply lacked execution from the QB.

Something has been off for Thomas all season, and I've come to think that a big part of it is he's putting too much pressure on himself. 

Granted, the entire weight of the Hokie offense is on his shoulders because there simply aren't enough playmakers out there, but LT needs to relax a bit.

Logan Thomas can still change games and the season with plays like this one.

It's never fun when you're losing, but it's hard to win when you aren't having some fun.

Smiling doesn't  have to mean you're happy, but it does speak to a better overall mindset.

Sometimes, there's not much you can do but laugh and move on when things aren't going your way. It's a heckuva lot better than sulking and getting down on yourself.

While I generally dislike cross-sport comparisons, a golf contrast works here as does baseball. Great golfers and pitchers have short memories and quickly get over mistakes. You can let a bad performance stick with you and motivate you after the fact, but in the moment there's no room for dwelling on mistakes.

Logan is a very young QB and just as his mechanics and ability to read defenses will likely improve, so too will his maturity and leadership abilities.

It may not be an enormous deal that Thomas declined to talk to the media after the Miami loss, but just think of the uproar had former Tech quarterback Sean Glennon done that a few years ago.

Glennon was one of the most criticized athletes in Hokie history, but time and time again he went out under the glare of the media lights and addressed those critics regardless of his performance.

Logan will learn from this experience both on and off the field.

This is Frank Beamer's most trying season in 20 years so it's no surprise that his players have struggled at times with processing what's happening.

Despite Tech's 4-5 overall record and a 2-3 ACC mark, there are still things to play for.

This group will go down either as a underachieving bunch that completely collapsed during a lost season, or as a team that struggled a great deal but finally made a push toward respectability in the final stretch.

It will be a tall order, but it's possible with better execution and a little more energy.

Who knows, they might even have fun doing it.   

Editor's Note: I'll have some stuff about Notre Dame's big win tomorrow since I assume Brian's media blackout is still in effect. 

Notre Dame and Virginia Tech Heading in Opposite Directions

As you may or may not have noticed, Brian and I have entered a period of extreme silence during what is one of the great times of the year—college football season.

We haven't kept in proper contact recently, in fact our first verbal communication came after Notre Dame's surprising victory last Saturday over the mighty Oklahoma Sooners.

I had been anticipating a great deal of Irish coverage as the team somehow continued winning, but there was silence.

Brian explained this weekend that he had stopped writing because he had convinced himself if he published, ND would finally lose.

In a strange ironic twist, I had stopped writing because the Hokies are flat out terrible and frankly, I'd largely run out of helpful suggestions.

So there's the update. One blogger overcome by failure, the other success.

Miami coach Al Golden has plenty to sweat about. 

The Hokies face the Miami Hurricanes Thursday in south Florida. Brian claimed he would be shocked if Tech didn't rush for 300 yards against the 'Canes and I can see his point.

Miami ranks No. 119 out of 120 teams in rushing defense. That's great news to a Hokie rushing attack just 70th best in the nation.

Despite that, the 2012 Techmen are incapable of giving a beating like the one Notre Dame gave "da U" back in Chicago.

Expect a floundering Hokie performance and a narrow victory that could easily go the other direction with one or two wayward bounces.

As for the Irish, what can I add that hasn't already been said?

They should win every game left on the schedule. But clearly, that isn't how college football works.

Pittsburgh may well roll right on over for the freshly awakened echoes, or they might muster the all-world effort they showed against the Hokies—not that they needed that kind of effort.

I expect another close one with ND pulling it out late because, well, that's just how they do it.

It's nice to have something reliable like that isn't it?

At least, until the next game...and the week after that...

No Seriously, How Will the Hokies Beat Duke?

With an overall record of 3-3, Virginia Tech is officially off to its worst start in football since 1992.

That season, the Hokies finished 2-8-1 and Frank Beamer was forced to fire the majority of his coaching staff in order to retain his job.

Tech's loss to North Carolina also harkened back to the early nineties when the Tar Heels returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

It marked the first instance of  that since 1993, the year Frank Beamer and company began their still intact (for now) run of bowl games.

The Hokies are in a tough spot and I say this with all sincerity, they will have their hands full Saturday against Duke.

The Blue Devils are 5-1 and riding high after a a 42-17 thumping of Virginia.

Redshirt sophomore Anthony Boone threw four touchdown passes in that one, and Duke's outstanding starter Sean Renfree should be back for the trip to Blacksburg. Both may play as Boone is a bit more mobile and gives Tech something extra to prepare for.

Sean Renfree is trying to lead Duke to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.

Renfree is a 6-5 redshirt senior who will most certainly get a shot in the NFL after this season. Both QBs give Duke the ability to stretch the field, which is why they have the No. 30 passing offense in the country.

To be fair Duke has played a weak schedule, but their passers are legitimate and they have the ACC's all-time leading receiver in senior Conner Vernon.

Vernon has 239 career receptions including  41 for 555 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Duke doesn't run much, but they do enough on the ground to keep defenses honest and as stated before they will run a bit more with Boone at quarterback out of the read option.

The Blue Devils aren't a strong defensive team. That pairs well with the bright spot from Tech's loss at Carolina which was a decent passing performance.

Logan Thomas threw for a career-high 354 yards and must be salivating over Duke's 76th ranked pass defense.

The big question is how does the much maligned Tech defense stop Duke's spread passing attack?

Look for a simpler scheme from Bud Foster, more base 4-3 defense and less of the nickel package. That works better in terms of personnel and should allow guys to stay in their natural positions.

The weather for the frigid 2008 game was not Sean Glennon's fault. 

It will still be a challenge, but the defense has played better at home for whatever reason and the Hokies desperately need a win if they hope to salvage what has been thus far a disappointing campaign.

Duke probably should have beaten Tech last year in Durham but the Hokies pulled out a 14-10 win.

Duke has been close to winning this game several times in recent years, including the 2008 match up in Blacksburg when the Hokies ended up winning 14-3—without a doubt the coldest game I've ever attended.

Again, Saturday will be a challenge for the Hokies. They are down in the dumps and Duke is rolling along and just a game shy of bowl eligibility.

That being said, Tech should squeak out a close one at home. I wouldn't be shocked by anything at this point but there is still a significant talent gap between these two teams and Virginia Tech is backed into a corner.

We'll see if that's enough Saturday.

Hokies Lose to Cincinnati at Miserable FedEx Field

The last hour or so weaving around on the beltway between Baltimore and D.C. always gives me a sense of the general lawlessness and mayhem due on arrival in our nation's capital and outlying areas.

It's always a bit unnerving to get passed by a cop going 85—especially when he seems unfazed by the encounter.

Such was the tone set en route to Virginia Tech's 27-24 defeat at the hand of Cincinnati last Saturday in Landover, Maryland.

I had a general sense of foreboding leading up to this game as soon as soon as Eric—one of my numerous attorney's—and I confirmed the trip mid-week.

It wasn't just the previous trip FedEx for the loss against Boise State on our minds either. There were many positives from that excursion and the dreadful 0-2 by Tech start led to a strangely successful season.

Eric later confided that he had a similar feeling to mine during the week. Things were not meant to be.

Mainly, that was due to a junior quarterback from New Orleans named Munchie Legaux.

Munchie Legaux slips past the Hokies' Kyshoen Jarrett (34).

Munchie torched the Hokies for a career-high 376 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

For Tech's part, they bungled around much of the first half before a late rushing touchdown by Logan Thomas gave Tech a 7-6 lead and hope of a turnaround.

It wasn't to be however as the Hokie defense turned in another subpar performance, allowing 495 total yards.

Something appears off with this particular group of Tech defenders.

Antone Exum has really been struggling at corner, but there's no one behind him on the depth chart ready to go.

The offense performed at a near acceptable level despite not scoring for much of the game. Tech totaled just over 400 yards as a group and averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

There are probably some things to build on offensively, but it's largely cancelled out by the lack of scoring.

Despite being largely outplayed, Cincinnati scored only two field goals in the first half. Tech could have an should have taken control of the game.

Logan Thomas continues to struggle, the most glaring example coming on an overthrown pass to a wide open Randall Dunn that was intercepted at the goal line.

The one positive for Tech is special teams appears to be much improved.

Freshman punter A.J. Hughes had another nice night against the Bearcats punting 7 times for an average of 45.9 yards. Cody Journell also had a field goal making him 5 of 6 on the season.

FedEx Field was far from capacity Saturday in Landover, Maryland.

The Hokies now have an all-time record of 0-3 at FedEx Field, featuring losses to USC, Boise State and now the Bearcats.

Tech is 3-2, and while technically still 1-0 in ACC play, an 0-2 mark against Big East teams this season would currently place the Hokies in last place in a far weaker conference than the Big East they once excelled in.

The match with North Carolina in Chapel Hill looks like it will be a big challenge for a struggling bunch of Hokies.

Carolina is ineligible for the ACC Championship and a bowl game this year after having been found guilty of academic fraud, impermissible agent benefits, participation by ineligible players and a failure to monitor the football program. 

Despite the sanctions, UNC appears somewhat rejuvenated under first year head coach Larry Fedora and is playing for some measure of pride.

These are usually close scrappy games between Tech and Carolina and expect this one to require a heavy bourbon intake to stay calm throughout.

The Tarheels are passing well with Bryn Renner at quarterback. The junior has completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 1422 with 14 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions.

The Hokie pass defense is struggling and this might not be the best medicine.

Tech-Cincinnati "Highlight" below for those who care to revisit.

Hokies Smashed by Pittsburgh, But Not "Upset"

Virginia Tech was absolutely dominated by the Pittsburgh Panthers Saturday, a team that entered the game with an 0-2 record that included a loss to Youngstown State of the FCS.

To say the No. 13 Hokies were upset would be incorrect. That implies that the result is unexpected or even unprecedented, neither of which is true.

Losing football games to "inferior" opponents has become an unnervingly consistent part of Virginia Tech football. If it isn't Pittsburgh, it's James Madison or East Carolina upending Tech in early season match ups.

True there's still the ACC title to aim for as these are almost always non-conference missteps, but after seeing the Hokies completely outclassed on both sides of the line of scrimmage against Pitt, one can't help but be pessimistic about the odds of Tech beating Florida State or Clemson.

The Hokies currently have no offensive identity whatsoever. The much ballyhooed pistol formation has been a total flop. The running game has been completely nonexistent and each game has been a blur of formations and personnel swaps.

No one has rushed for more than 54 yards in a game—Michael Holmes in the opener against Georgia Tech—and the last two games have seen the leading rusher come in the form of a wide receiver and a quarterback.

That leaves the Hokies currently ranked 96th in the nation in rushing offense. Bad news for a program known for running the football.

Pitt freshman Rushel Shell (4) gashed Tech for 157 rushing yards

This is bad, but even worse given the total regression of quarterback Logan Thomas.

Thomas has struggled this season save for his fourth quarter performance against Georgia Tech. The Pitt game however was his worst game as a starter, missing basic throws, open receivers and getting rattled in a half-empty stadium.

One has to wonder exactly what if any tinkering went on at quarterback "guru" George Whitfield's passing workouts this past spring, but Thomas is just not the same QB from last season.

His throws are consistently missing high not surprisingly his completion percentage has dropped and two of his career-high interceptions against the Panthers were not even close to receivers.

The pressure of being a pre-season Heisman candidate and having to carry the entire offense may well be a factor, but something seems a bit off in his mechanics.

So time for solutions.

Tech needs to simplify on offense. They're trying to do too many things without perfecting any. The pistol formation was supposed to signify the Hokies modernizing the offense, but the philosophy remained the same.

The Frank Beamer recipe for success is simple, control the clock by holding the ball on offense, don't make mistakes on special teams, score what you can and play suffocating defense to eek out victories.

This works well, but Tech can't control the clock. Currently, they rank 111th in time of possession and 70th in turnover margin with a mark of -.33.

The pass protection has been pretty solid so keep throwing, but the Hokies need fewer formations.

Tech almost always looks great in the two-minute offense because it limits the play-calling to the top handful of plays. Expand on that a bit and toss the rest. Just because you have a ton of plays and looks doesn't mean the defense will be confused by your "complicated" offense.

The Hokies need to start Martin Scales at tailback because he is the most decisive runner and most likely to hit the holes in Tech's zone blocking scheme.

The lack of depth on defense was exposed against Pittsburgh after injuries forced a major shuffle in the secondary.

There's not much you can do about that, but I suspect Bud Foster has more than just injuries to deal with after his defense allowed 537 yards of total offense to a Pitt squad that scored more points against the Hokies (35) than they did against Cincinnati and Youngstown State combined (27).

In one more negative sidebar, it occurred to me after Saturday's thumping at Heinz Field that Tech seems to lose an awful lot in professional stadiums.

I did some digging and sure enough, since 2000, the Hokies are just 9-15 in such games.

I don't think there's a particular trend to read into there but it is slightly worrisome for a team poised to face a game Cincinnati club at FedEx Field in two weeks, a place where Tech is 0-2.

The good news getting back to my original point is this is nothing new for the Hokies. They've lost early in the season many times, including the last FedEx game against Boise State and the ensuing disaster of James Madison.

Tech usually rallies and finishes strong, but this season may be the biggest challenge yet.

Hokies Wideout D.J. Coles to Miss Rest of Season

Virginia Tech head athletic trainer Mike Goforth announced Thursday that senior wide receiver D.J. Coles will miss the remainder of the season following an knee injury in the opening victory over Georgia Tech.

Coles will undergo an MRI on the same knee that was recovering from off-season PCL surgery. He will be eligible to apply for a medical hardship waiver which, if granted, will allow him to return for a fifth season similar to fellow receiver Dyrell Roberts.

The Hokies had several other receivers step up in Coles' absence.

Marcus Davis and Corey Fuller each had 82 yards receiving and redshirt-freshman Demitri Knowles had his first career catch on a beautiful 42-yard touchdown pass from Logan Thomas.

Tech returns to action Saturday in Blacksburg against Austin Peay at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN3.

2012 College Football Predictions

The college football season is once again under way meaning I breathe a little easier while somehow also stressing out more.

While Brian is off gallivanting about Europe on his way to Notre Dame's match up with Navy in Ireland, I've been tasked with informing everyone of our picks for this year's editions of Virginia Tech and Notre Dame football.

On a brief side note, if I don't see web hits from ISPs in Ireland this week someone is due for a beating.

First Brian's picks:

Brian is a bit bullish on ND, which isn't shocking, but I was a little surprised he picked both squads to finish with an 8-4 record. In this scenario, Tech would still likely qualify for the ACC Championship game giving them a shot at another win before the bowls. 

I can't wait for the Irish to get some kind of bizarre exemption into our championship game despite not actually playing in the conference. Clearly, I'm not still bitter about the Big East's stupid bowl arrangement from years past.

Now for my picks:

Again, these aren't shocking picks. I pegged the Irish at 7-5, but I think that would be an outstanding season. I was very close to predicting 6-6 with a loss to Navy. Coming from a fellow fan whose team opens against the crazed triple-option attack, there's plenty of reason to be nervous. 

I clearly have more confidence in my alma mater than some, predicting just one loss to the Clemson Tigers. Until Tech proves they can outdo Dabo (who is a gum-flapping idiot) that game gives me apoplectic fits of rage just envisioning it.

One interesting note, Brian seems to think far more highly of Miami than I do. I think both teams should defeat the Hurricanes because I just don't think they're very good. 

Of course that won't stop all 17 'Canes fans from "packing" whatever the Dolphins call their stadium now when Tech rolls into town. 

There will be no Miami fans at Notre Dame's game in Chicago because no such people live there. 

Anyone seen with 'Canes swag will probably have an ibis hat from 1985 to go with a Bears Ditka-style sweater they dug out of their closet. Those folks are the worst kind of bandwagon cast-offs from the last time both teams were simultaneously relevant and they are bad people.      

I hate Miami.

2012 Virginia Tech Football: Death, Taxes and 10-win Seasons

There are few certainties in life (and 10-win seasons aren't really one of them) but Virginia Tech football's winning tradition has become about as steady as it gets.

Gush about Clemson and Florida State all you want, but the road to the ACC Championship still runs through Blacksburg. 

Even during Clemson's resurgence last season, they still had to beat the Hokies twice to claim the title. Expect more of the same this time around. 

Folks will point to Clemson as the biggest game of the season, but it still starts with the battle of the Tech's Sept. 3 in Lane Stadium.

As previously mentioned in this space, the winner of the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech match-up has represented the coastal division in the ACC championship game every season since the Hokies joined the league in 2004. 

This year will be no different as the Tigers and Seminoles battle for the top spot in the Atlantic division.

Questions surround the Tech offense as they have to replace most of the offensive line, the wide receivers and a first-round draft pick in the form of running back David Wilson.

Michael Holmes will lead Tech's rushing attack this season.

Fortunately, tailback is never a position of any real concern at Virginia Tech. Running backs coach Shane Beamer will turn to redshirt freshman Michael Holmes who is the clear leader of a talented, but unproven group of backs.

Holmes may not be as flashy as David Wilson (who is?) but it appears he will be a steady presence this season with enough sizzle to break off some big runs. 

Redshirt senior Martin Scales is a converted fullback who at 5'11", 222 pounds is a bruiser who could see plenty of goal line carries.

Also keep an eye out for true freshman J.C. Coleman. He has plenty of big play ability and enrolled early at Tech in January to play spring ball.

Despite losing two of Tech's most prolific receivers—Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin—The Hokies have a potentially explosive group of wideouts led by Marcus Davis and the return of Dyrell Roberts. 

Marcus Davis pulls away from North Carolina defenders.

The 6'4", 232-pound Davis is a physical freak who gained over 500 yards receiving last season in an offense dominated by Coale and Boykin, and still hasn't truly shown people what he can do. 

Roberts is a redshirt senior after being granted a medical hardship waiver and he's joined by fellow senior D.J. Coles who also was just shy of 500 yards receiving last season. The group gives Tech great size and speed as well as a veteran presence for Logan Thomas after losing some crucial veteran targets.

The offensive line worries are being overblown by a national media that has conveniently glossed over the fact that the majority of the "new" starters have seen significant snaps filling in during past injuries.  

This line will be no worse than any recent group, and has the potential to be quite good by the time the stretch run comes around. 

Defensively, Tech has loads of talent and as I say every season, just trust Bud Foster to whip everyone into shape. 

Kyle Fuller is the most recent in a long line great Hokie cornerbacks.

All-ACC cornerback Kyle Fuller is a serious playmaker who leads a defense filled with them. 

That doesn't mean there aren't changes as several players shuffled positions. 

Detrick Bonner was pressed into starting duty last season at cornerback and whip linebacker. This season he makes a move to free safety while safety Antone Exum moves over to cornerback. 

The defensive line looks stout and defensive end James Gayle is a stud. He totaled 12.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks a year ago and will look to improve upon those numbers. Tech hasn't had very impressive individual sack numbers in recent years, but Gayle may just be the guy to change that.

Special teams has been a problem in recent years much to the dismay of special teams guru and head coach Frank Beamer. The rest of the country caught up to the Hokies about a decade ago, and Tech hasn't really figured a way to get back on top. 

Beamer has also shifted from blocking kicks to primarily setting up returns, which to be fair has yielded fairly solid return numbers but the Hokies certainly miss the tectonic momentum shift caused by blocked field goals and punts.

As for Tech's kicking game, Cody Journell returns as the placekicker after meeting the terms of his reinstatement following an embarrassing Sugar Bowl suspension. Freshman A.J. Hughes appears likely to be the punter and sophomore Michael Branthover should handle the kickoff duties.

CONCLUSION

All in all, this is yet another talented team with a genuine superstar at quarterback and one of the more talented defenses in recent years. That's a potent mix that could yield fantastic results.

Most talking heads are touting Florida State as the likely ACC champion. FSU is certainly loaded with talent, but until they finally live up to expectations under Jimbo Fisher and prove it on the field, I'm not sure you can crown them anything but paper champions.

The rest of the conference has clearly closed the gap with the Hokies (see Clemson games). Georgia Tech may be a home game, but it's a tough test to start the season. Then there's the brutal stretch of games at Clemson, at Miami and Florida State at home. Strangely, all of those teams have a BYE in the weeks prior to facing the Hokies as do non-conference foes Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

It's a big challenge coming up for the Hokies, but with a little luck and some improved play in big games, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Hokies once again win the ACC and play in another BCS game. Hopefully this season the results are slightly better.

On a side note, Danny Coale still caught that touchdown against Michigan. 

General Musings About Football Season 2012

It's been painfully quiet around here lately. I return with a Hokie-centric look at the coming football season, pro and college.

First, Virginia Tech continues an unofficial quest to become the Oregon of the east coast when it comes to uniforms.

Tech will continue the now common practice of using multiple helmets throughout the season including this fairly tasteful camouflage helmet for Military Appreciation Day Saturday, September 22 against Bowling Green.

Then there are these controversial helmets for the White Out game Saturday, September 8 against Austin Peay.

Now they're only controversial insofar as they're ugly, but for a one-off they're tolerable. Gobbler tracks aren't remotely approaching the most offensive thing I've seen on football uniforms. 

Of course, most folks have been less forgiving of the new design, including starting quarterback Logan Thomas who chimed in on Twitter:

Indeed.

As for the action under the helmets, Virginia Tech is in Frank Beamer's favorite position. 

The Hokies are ranked fairly low, return a talented albeit somewhat unproven roster, and no one is really talking about them. Perfect.

On to the NFL (which sucks), and the myriad of Hokies on NFL rosters. That may thin out a bit as the teams make cuts, but I was surprised at the sheer numbers.

Some are no surprise as this season will mark the debuts of two of Tech's most exciting and successful running backs, second-year man Ryan Williams of the Arizona Cardinals and back-flipping rookie David Wilson of the Super Bowl Champion Giants.

Williams missed all of his rookie campaign with a significant knee injury, but appears to be back at full strength going into the preseason and the coaches in Arizona love him.

Praise has been equally high for Wilson in New York, where players and coaches alike have marveled at his maturity and athleticism. He demonstrated the latter in his first preseason game, nearly returning a kick-off for a touchdown.

The trick for the rabbit-catching phenom is to learn the playbook and continue to bulk up, while Williams needs to get some game contact to regain his confidence. 

Both appear poised to make an impact as complimentary backs—especially Williams because Beanie Wells is mediocre on a good day.

I guess the other main story no one has talked about regarding "the shield" is the fact that negotiations with game officials are still not settled and the NFL may use back-up referees into the regular season. 

Fans complain regardless, but given the number of competent, high-level football referees in this country, I think it's safe to say we'll see a drop-off in quality officiating the first few weeks.

Obviously, we'll have more detailed thoughts as the rapidly-approaching season nears. 

Virginia Tech kicks off Labor Day night when they host Georgia Tech at 8 PM on ESPN.

The winner of that match-up has represented the Coastal division in the ACC Championship game every season since the Hokies joined the conference in 2004.

Notre Dame will begin their season whenever they find a quarterback, or September 1 when they take on Navy in Ireland, whichever comes first.

Also, that game appears to start at 9 AM here on the east coast. Those with big tailgating plans may want to save the bratwurst until at least halftime.