2012-2013 Football Hokies: Bad News & Better News

With the 2011-2012 basketball season in the books, it's time to look forward to football season.  Unfortunately, the football program is being ushered in with a few clouds in the sky. Former VT QB Marcus Vick is back in the news, Telvion Clark is has been kicked off the team, and Tariq Edwards suffered a setback in recovery from his stress fracture, requiring a rod to be inserted in his shin to stabilize the bone.

Courtesy HokieSports.com

Marcus' recent (and past) troubles were documented in a previous blog, and Telvion Clark's recent St. Paddy's Day exploit included public swearing and intoxication. This is not Clark's only brush with the local traffic and criminal authorities. A search of the Montgomery County VA General District Court Online Case Information System revealed the following cases involving Mr. Clark:

• Driving Under a Suspended/Revoked License - Found Not Guilty at 10/24/11 Hearing.
• Expired Registration - Found Not Guilty at 10/24/11 Hearing.
• Failure to Obey a Highway Sign - Fine/Costs Paid on 3/19/12.
• Public Swearing/Intoxication - Hearing Scheduled for 5/03/12.

You may also recall that Clark was a member of the infamous "Greyhound Six" which was comprised of six players that were sent home on a bus ahead of the 2011 Orange Bowl for violating team rules.

On my Twitter account, I postulated that the coaching staff saw a "Marcus Vick trajectory"  in the works and decided to nip it in the bud by ousting Clark from the team before things got worse. Some took issue with this characterization, most notably Chris Coleman (from TechSideline.com), who described the situation as "much, much different than Marcus Vick".  I don't doubt that it is a lot different, especially when you have team leaders like James Gayle, Logan Thomas, and Antone Exum all lobbying on Twitter to have Clark reinstated with the team.  I have also heard from good sources that if the charge against Cody Journell is reduced to a misdemeanor, we may see him back on the team as a walk-on(!?). I guess when you mix alumni dollars with college football, there's no telling what can happen.

On the "better news" front, although Tariq Edwards is anticipated to be out 3-4 months and not available to participate in spring practice starting on 3/28/12, he is expected to be available by the start of training camp in August.

Now for the some positive news.  Anyone who watched the 2011 Orange Bowl game against Stanford, the regular season and ACC Championship games against Clemson in 2011, and the 2012 Sugar Bowl game against Michigan understands that the VT football program has some serious coaching issues against quality teams that need attention. ("So, how exactly is that positive, Ron?")  The positive part about those four losses is that the coaching staff themselves seems to realize that they have some serious issues that need attention and they are actively searching for ways to improve.  As a fan, that is a positive development.

Last month, the offensive coaches (including Bryan Stinespring, Micheal O'Cain, and Shane Beamer) visited with Texas Longhorn co-offensive coordinator (and previous Boise State offensive coordinator) Bryan Harsin in Austin.  Reportedly, they gained some insight in how to create more problems for defenses via the use of different formations and doing things to control game tempo and keeping defenses off-balance.  (A repeated criticism of VT's offense by many Hokie fans is that its offense is simply too predictable against opposing defenses.)

At the same time, Bud Foster and his defensive coaches spent time in Jacksonville, FL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and University of Missouri coaching staffs. While there, they focused considerable time learning how to execute and defend against the spread offense, which Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor--and Clemson--all run. Bud Foster and his team spent time with Missouri coach, and former Bud Foster compadre at Toledo, Gary Pinkel; and they exchanged tips and ideas in a two-way fashion.

Will this reap benefits for the 2012-2013 campaign?  Who knows. But one thing is for sure, it sure as hell can't hurt.

Go Hokies!