Virginia Tech's defense has missed a lot of tackles this season. (Jon Fleming)
1) You mentioned missed tackles in a recent article. Do the numbers suggest that the defense regularly has a high number of missed tackles per game over the last few seasons? I personally feel like I am yelling at a defender to freaking tackle the guy multiple times a game. I'd be interested to know if you feel the same, or is it just me? – ArdbergHokie
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How about we leave Pry in place to handle the press and glad hand folks and we get Fuente back for the football stuff.
RoscoHokie13
Elite comment honestly.
HokieInAR
It does seem that you could create a really good coach by combining the strengths of our two most recent HCs. Take Pry’s personality and Fuente’s knowledge of “Xs and Os” and you’d have a great coach.
Even with that hybrid head coach, we need good coordinators, because both Fuente and Pry have shown that we can’t be successful with unproven coordinators.
Dooleyjk
Great comment, said the exact same thing to my wife this morning
theyearofthegoblers2016
ArdbergHokie : when I see other teams play and their defenders miss tackles, it’s a running joke “he must’ve went to techs school of tackling.” I hope things improve!
atlhokie1
If Whit won't be around to pick the next coach, who has the stones to sit down and make that decision. If it's year four or five and it's the same bad play, who is going to step up and make the call?
mygreenbaypackers
Has Wells passed the Eye Test?Not by me. Doesn't see open receivers. Misses too many throws to open receivers. Easy to tackle. Not clutch. Was hoping we'd have someone better this year. Drones? We'll see.
ChazB
Jared Evans was a strong game day player but practice eeuuhhh. Not so much.
Let's Go... Hokies!!!!
Knock off the knights!
Lane2024
How I will be evaluating Drones. Does he throw a catchable ball, on time? Does he make guys miss when he runs? Execute, make plays, that’s the bottom line. We should be more than capable of competing with Rutgers.
Dan S.
Brady Hokie?
jfhokie
I wonder how many coaches Tennessee is still paying. We certainly couldn't afford to do that
HokieJ
That’s the worst part. You’re bleeding money and time on a bad coach but torn on the buyout with a change. These idiotic long term guaranteed contracts are the problem. Somebody needs to change the dynamic and sign a coach to an incentive laden deal that doesn’t leave them on the hook when the employee flames out. Michigan St says hold my beer.
HokiePilot
Sounds like a great idea, try putting it into action. Let's be honest, any coach you would want to come to VT probably has other options and is NOT going to sign at VT absent some fairly substantial guaranteed money......sound familiar? As a fan base there are a lot of great ideas, but a general lack of reality of making them happen. We want to be first class, but on a economy basis. Don't have to like it, but that doesn't make it a false narrative. IMHO Whit is an overall good AD, and it would a long year without Basketball, baseball, softball, track, swimming, soccer, et al. I rather have a great all round program than a one trick pony. Yes, I am aware that football is the engine, just stating my preferences.
DADEC52
The problem is those sports don't pay for themselves and we need football to write that check. The money made on one sold out (truly sold out) football game is the annual budget for a number of the other programs each week.
phonedude
A partial list of teams with more resources and/or history that have had long periods of little-to-no national relevancy similar to what VT has had since 2012:
* Washington
* Colorado
* Nebraska
* UCLA
* USC
* Tenn
* Miami
* Alabama
Most are back in the saddle, but I suspect some will never regain their former glory (e.g., Nebraska, Miami).
I suspect Florida is a program on teetering on such a precipice now.
phonedude
adding to the first list:
* Texas
* Texas A&M
VAHokie89
Almost all the bluebloods had a down period. Add in Penn State to that mix. Michigan i think., maybe not a deciade.
Alabama was down
Florida
Auburn
Tennessee
Penn State
Michigan
Nebraska
Oregon was dominate for a while
Jeffrey4VT
FSU
MISTERBIG
Good point and observation Phonedude!!
dllawson
Perhaps it would be better to consider which schools have maintained success under multiple coaches - without going through a decade of irrelevance ... Ohio State, Georgia, and Oregon are the only ones that come to mind and each of them "suffered" under one mediocre coach.
HokieJ
Many of those schools have no obvious recruiting base. Colorado, Wash, nebraska and to a lesser extent even Tenn don’t have enough in state talent to be good. CU and Wash have to mine Cali. Nebraska has to go national but they’re not notre dame. TN kind of same deal to a lesser extent but the state of TN turns out far less football talent than it should.
vtgriff09
Missed tackles are just another example of guys not developing. Already at the point of major regression with players...and this is just another way to show this is not about the talent, we are green on both sides. The difference on defense is that Marve appears he can scheme, Bowen cannot scheme, is bad at playcalling and doesn't make in game adjustments.
Both Tennessee and Bama have major money advantages to VT. Tenn went through coaches to get back. The smart move isn't to sit back, when you know you have hired a dud, and act like it is going to miraculously get better. You know in the first 2 yrs if that decision was good or bad. I love the statement that you really don't know if who you are hiring is good (when you hire someone who has never been a HC). But...you find out real fast. Tenn got rid of the losers and kept plugging away...we have to be willing to do the same. This staff is a disaster, it is already time to turn the page. The longer we wait, the further in the future and the harder it will be to start winning again.
hokiepro
I don’t think 1 year and 2 games is enough. FSU was terrible with Norvell for a couple years before they started their turnaround now they’re top 5
Chris Coleman
Didn't Norvell fire both coordinators after his second season?
MKD
Yes, he did.
Walkin` Willie
Don't think he fired his DC Adam Fuller who is starting his fourth season with FSU. Regardless, Coach Pry will need a stiff evaluation of the team at the end of the year and should make changes as necessary.
HokieJ
There you go. I think after 2 years you have a pretty good idea. The portal has changed the timeline. There should be dramatic and obvious improvement. In the case of VT, moving past the likes of Syr, duke and wake is not a high bar.
nkhooch
I agree 1 year and 2 games is not enough. Give it 3 years with some time for his recruited players to contribute. That assumes we win at least 4 games this year.
NMB Hokie
Missed tackles is more likely caused by not tackling to the ground in practice to avoid injuries. The game has changed to where we only tackle on Saturdays and the success rate shows it.
HokieInAR
Two years isn’t always enough to know if you have the right coach. After two years with Fuente, most people thought he was the right guy. Then the wheels fell off.
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