Monday Thoughts: Feeling Beaten Down

Will Stewart

November 07, 2022 43

Norell Pollard Virginia Tech — The six-game losing streak has Norell Pollard and Virginia Tech looking for answers. (Jon Fleming)

It’s rare that I sit down to do a Monday Thoughts and feel uninspired.

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Monday Thoughts

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43 Comments

132882Hokie November 8, 2022 at 3:28 PM

Losing Culture? It looks like to ne that one mental error erodes the teams confidence. How do you overcome that? More questions than answers. I've ben a Hokie fan for over 70 years (and have lived through bad football, and good) and I'm too old to change this habit. The losses do hurt, but hope springs eternal and that hope relies heavily on the coaches being able to change the teams culture. Go Hokies and make my heart happy by beating UVA. Yeah, I've lowered my expectations!
MAHist87 November 8, 2022 at 3:01 PM

Feeling beaten down? Who's feeling beaten down? we sit around in bars, in living rooms, and on stadium benches singing the blues because our kids, and that's what they are, 18-23 year-old kids, are losing football games. In fact, those shiftless, lazy, inconsiderate little bastards have lost the last 2 games by a combined 2 points; the nerve! I think through all of this we would do well to remember what toll this must be having on these players. They're trying like hell. Each week they're told they're gonna lose and yet they enthusiastically go out there and do their level best to win. Sometimes they're overmatched; sometimes they screw up; sometimes the ball bounces funny; sometimes you end up losing by 1. But, they're still out there each week for our entertainment--and that's what it is--entertainment. I think we should enthusiastically continue to support our fellow Hokies and stop singing the blues--we're not very good at it!
1. hokiepro November 9, 2022 at 9:18 AM
  
  We’re good at it because we have so much experience with it…and by it I’m talking losing leads in the 4th quarter. It’s a long standing Hokie football tradition
Breck November 8, 2022 at 1:46 PM

Certainly remember Freeman and DeShazo but did not recall that it was DeShazo throwing to him and that it was those 2 pulling us out of the 1992 slump. Was fun just now to go look back at the stats for those 2. Those were fun highlights to watch.
VTAtlantaHokie November 8, 2022 at 1:11 PM

Dont worry everyone. Another back to back 1 to 2 years like this year and change is going to handle itself one way or the other. This is a lost year. The goal is to pray weve reached bottom and just get on the other side of this year so we can reset for next year. We knew during Fuente's tenure this was coming: 2020 marked the worst recruiting cycle in recent Hokie history. The Hokies’ registered a No. 76 national ranking in 2020 with just 17 commits. This is a 10 to15year rebuild at the least for a program of our caliber but the key is to stay optimistic....at least for the next 2 to 3 years. The key is do we see legitimate and steady progress over the next 2 to 3 years......that's how we will know we are on track and we are putting a winning program back together again. I know VT is not UGA but die hard Georgians have been miserable about their football team for the almost 17 years I've been here sitting in the shadows of Bama and Florida. Then all of a sudden the right 1st year coach came along. Its gonna take a lot and its gonna take a while but it can happen for us too.
1. HowBoutThemHokies November 9, 2022 at 11:09 PM
  
  10-15 year rebuild?! How does that timeline look? Haha. A rebuild doesn’t take that long dude…
VicDrit November 8, 2022 at 8:33 AM

This game was lost due to a continued problem with ball security from one particular guy. We all know who it is....has had the issue since stepping on campus several years ago. He's unreliable and that's how you lose ball games.
Karl E. Nicosia November 8, 2022 at 8:26 AM

Losing due to a pure lack of talent is one thing. Losing primarily due to a lack of discipline, as evidenced by the extreme number of penalties, is another…. And that’s coaching. That’s what makes it very hard for me to feel any level of confidence in this coaching staff.
Hokie67 November 8, 2022 at 7:46 AM

One play says it all: 3rd & 19. VT calls a timeout to get set up. GT will be going for it on 4th down - so they're looking at getting 8 to 12 yards. They call a perfect play - and voila!!! It goes for a first down. BTW - it seemed like everyone around me (including me) called this one as VT lined up. VT defense was in a Bud Foster prevent a TD defense. Hmmm. VT can attract the athletes. Look at all the other sports. VT is attracting some of the best students in the country. Football is a crap shoot now. e.g. A&M; OK; Miami (and their $5 million NIL payroll); Nebraska; et all. Not sure when we'll roll a 7 though in football.
1. Walkin` Willie November 8, 2022 at 12:27 PM
  
  Yeah, that was one play that really got to me. Can't stand prevent defense as all it does is prevent your team from winning.
  1. Hokie67 November 8, 2022 at 1:50 PM
    
    that was one play that really got to me. >>>> I was a brilliant call by GT - with an interim HC. Pure text book.
Cappydave November 8, 2022 at 6:49 AM

So "Monday Thoughts" has come to posting cat pictures? Well, it is a cute cat. And it is sporting a VT sky piece......Go Hokies!
VTAtlantaHokie November 8, 2022 at 1:23 AM

Stars matter. We must get back to thouroughly winning our instate recruiting and infuse this program with more fours than threes. Stars Matter.
arcadtect November 7, 2022 at 9:00 PM

I am not dejected or depressed, but I am discouraged. My first memories are in Blacksburg in 1960 when my dad attended and I followed footsteps in 1974. I am not mad at the team or coaches, but I am dishearten by the lack of improvement over the season. They (the team and coaches) just can't seem to get out of their own way. I like Pry, I liked Fuente when we first hired him. Fuente after 5 seasons just wasn't a good fit for VT anymore. I like Pry and what he is about, but can he become a good / great football coach. I have no idea. A great coach that is a crappy person is not a good fit for VT, but neither is a great guy who is a crappy coach. Only time will tell, but to be so close and consistently have defeat snatch from the jaws of victory does get a bit depressing. I unfortunately did buy tickets to three away games, so I will have had to suffer through this nine times this year. I really don't know what to say about it not having much confidence or hope for our remaining games. I know recruiting and the portal can help. Coaching? It just doesn't seem right to make changes only after one year, but expecting a bit more form the coaching staff, it would seem getting some experienced coaches instead of the "on the job training" coach would be a necessity too? My Hokies, My Team and I will suffer through the bad times and rejoice at the good times.
1. George Baylor November 8, 2022 at 9:37 AM
  
  Well written. Grad class of `63, season ticket holder since `59, I've seen the Good, Bad and Super Ugly of our Hokie football. I like Pry's "PR" but not sure about his "X-O's" and don't understand his management skills. In my 40 years in business, I certainly did not hire a person, then do that person's job as in "DC." Yes, I expected 6/6 or 5-7 year, but was looking for improvements in Nov. Vs. Sept. Those improvements are NOT showing, and I'm sorry Coach Pry, "We aren't close." GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!
2. jk8hc November 9, 2022 at 4:16 AM
  
  Talk about discouraged - I chose this year to scratch off one of the items on my bucket list. I purchased two season tickets plus at least two tickets to every away game. This will be the year I see the Hokies play every game in person. Great timing, huh.
We`re Going November 7, 2022 at 7:23 PM

I've never been one to pay too much attention to punt coverage, but I've NEVER seen anything as pathetic as the effort by #22 and #33 on GT on Holloway's punt return. They both start jogging before they even get to the returner, Holloway runs right past them, and then they manage to both jog and take poor angles. Holloway's fast but he ain't THAT fast, either of them could have easily gotten him. They're down 3 points right before halftime. If I'm a GT coach I'm tearing them a new one. Exciting play though, I think I've watched this play more than any single play since about 2018.
Al Czervik November 7, 2022 at 6:51 PM

"Literally, just give us your Monday thoughts." You have a unique perspective on all things Hokie, Will. One of my favorite reads. Some better than others but all balanced and entertaining with a few brilliant nuggets sprinkled in. Monday Thoughts tempers the extremes. Look forward to it every week.
23434 November 7, 2022 at 6:40 PM

The fish bit okay today and it was a beautiful day on the Elizabeth River… only a 35 minute drive from home. VT football… unrecognizable like it used to be. Three generations say so. We no longer attend.
1. billyboy November 7, 2022 at 8:01 PM
  
  Interesting. We’re kind of the same way. We were season ticket holders, but not anymore due to two night minimum stays in hotels. But I would always watch the Hokies on TV, but I don’t any longer because they’re not on a channel I receive. That’s how people lose interest and VT loses contributions.
phoenixhokie November 7, 2022 at 6:37 PM

I've come around to see the doomsday dolts in this respect. They're like the show writers of the Young And the Restless who wrote the same drivel for 40 years. 'I'm cheating on you with your brother.' = Tech's offense has always sucked! 'I'm pregnant with your brother's baby.' = Our coordinators are terrible! 'Your brother's baby is actually your child.' = Fire 'em all including the A.D.! Isn't doing (or maybe writing/saying) the same thing over .. and over .. and over .. and over .. for DECADES a sign of mental instability????? Basketball can't get here soon enough.
1. gemrooty November 7, 2022 at 7:55 PM
  
  Love it!
2. 134465Hokie November 8, 2022 at 8:42 PM
  
  I sure hope that MY gets it right. If by your reasoning, if the men start to lose, per your saying, it will be time to get rid of him and find someone else who can us to the promised land.
Hokie Pokie November 7, 2022 at 6:12 PM

Man, those 1994 uniforms (from the Antonio Freeman clip) were awesome.
heklsk November 7, 2022 at 5:57 PM

This is such a poorly coached team. I can't decide if they don't make the right half-time adjustments or our lack of depth is responsible for our second half meltdowns. I am not as bothered by the losses as I am by the fact that they look so bad doing it.
1. NMB Hokie November 7, 2022 at 7:35 PM
  
  +1
2. vtgriff09 November 7, 2022 at 8:11 PM
  
  They don't make halftime adjustments and the in-game clock management is down right pathetic. Serious question, when is the last time a HC took over a .500 team.and nose-dived them and found a way to relevance (for a team not on probation)? We have Mike London...I bet if you ask UVA fans if they wish they got out of Mike London earlier, they would have begged to do so (except London could actually recruit).
  1. Long-Lost Hokie November 7, 2022 at 8:57 PM
    
    Dave Doeren at NC State? Tom O'Brien was 7-6 in 2012, 40-36 overall. On a three-game bowl streak. Got fired. Doeren went 3-9 in his first year. Jamey Chadwell ran things into the ground at Coastal Carolina at first. Now they're on the move. (Truth serum: I was pulling for him to get the VT job.) Petrino at Arkansas didn't light it up his first year (5-7) and he inherited a program that had won 18 games the previous two years. He then went on to win 29 games the next three years before his personal peccadilloes ruined it. I'm sure there are others. Pry might not be the guy but having a hard first year isn't a death knell.
3. 134465Hokie November 8, 2022 at 8:48 PM
  
  Give Babcock or Pry a call tomorrow and outline your plan to them on how we can right the ship. Everyone has a plan on how to get there but it seems that no one is willing to actually do this. I wish everyone would just give the coaches a break. To me it was going to be hard to get to 8, 9 or 10 wins. It takes time guys. Just remember how it was when you started your first job. I'm sure, by reading most of these posts, that you were already seasoned veterans. Good luck to most of you in your future.
No_Limit_Hokie November 7, 2022 at 5:44 PM

Ru-by! Ru-by! Ru-by!
Rodant Kapoor November 7, 2022 at 5:32 PM

What a cute cat!
1hokies1 November 7, 2022 at 5:26 PM

Good coaches can turn it fast. Hugh Freeze would have won
1. sacramento hokie November 7, 2022 at 7:06 PM
  
  Good Lord Charlie Coffey would have won- at least he knew offense or Don Strock taught it to him!… this was perhaps our worst game played since at least the 16-0 loss to Cincy in 1995!
2. atlhokie1 November 8, 2022 at 7:55 AM
  
  I know (many) disagree but I would have gone with Freeze. Hoping Pry turns out to be the right choice though.
3. 134465Hokie November 8, 2022 at 8:50 PM
  
  Do you know this for a fact? You should be a fortune teller. You could be making millions. I would rather have someone who wants to be here for the long haul versus someone who starts to win and leaves in the middle of the night. Just saying.
  1. No_Limit_Hokie November 9, 2022 at 8:06 AM
    
    Did someone say 'carpetbuzzer'?
khakiblue November 7, 2022 at 5:19 PM

For whatever reason, this team and staff just can't put everything together for just one game.
Walkin` Willie November 7, 2022 at 5:16 PM

Will, you might be worried about the football team but I'm not. We got the right guy in Brent Pry and it will pay dividends in the coming years. My observation is that we are so thin that we are losing the conditioning battle late in the game. Well, that and the plethora of self inflicted mistakes. Both depth and the mistakes are correctable and I strongly believe Coach Pry will get it done.
1. Will Stewart November 7, 2022 at 5:17 PM
  
  I hope you're dead-on right.
  1. Efigalaxie November 7, 2022 at 9:12 PM
    
    I hope so, too, Will. Chin up, fella.
2. Hokie PE November 7, 2022 at 7:30 PM
  
  why do you think Pry is the right guy?
  1. 134465Hokie November 8, 2022 at 8:52 PM
    
    Why do you think Pry is the wrong guy?
3. 134465Hokie November 8, 2022 at 8:52 PM
  
  +1

Monday Thoughts: Feeling Beaten Down

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