Dear Sean Glennon,

Didn’t you see my last post about your clean slate?  It meant there was no pressure on you to perform well.  It meant you supposed to take control of the leadership position this season and become an example for Tyrod in the coming years.  I was behind you 100%, because I trusted the coaches decision and truly believed you must have been good enough to be the sole starter.  With the pressure from Taylor gone, you were supposed to break out this season to a new level; the level of a r-Senior.

This is not a hate letter, so at this point…I’ll move on.  End Letter.

First, I’d like to confirm the rumors you’ve been hearing.  Yes, Tyrod Taylor is playing this Saturday against Furman.

Second, I’ll comment that I didn’t update the site about Tyrod Taylor getting the redshirt last week for several reasons.
1. If you follow ACC football, it wouldn’t have been new news.  I didn’t have anything to say that hadn’t already been said.
2. We all knew it wouldn’t last.

My post game thoughts bumbled so long that I couldn’t come up with a coherent post until I heard the good news today.  I was debating why the coaches had really given Tyrod the redshirt.  Either:
1.  They knew this season wasn’t going to be salvageable anyway, so why waste the best player’s eligibility on it if they don’t have to.
2.  They truly thought Glennon had improved enough to lead this team to an ACC title.

Until I heard the news today, I assumed that it was the first.  But, with the recent reversal of the redshirt decision I have to think that they truly believed in the second.

I don’t know what the news will really do for the season.  Perhaps we can still contend for the ACC Coastal, but the defense will have to meld together and Tyrod will have to live up to the hype.  He was good last year, and at times, absolutely stunning.

Playing Tyrod Taylor is not the sole solution to the season.  We still won’t have a Texas Tech type offense and certainly not a coherent and functional coordinator.  Luckily Tyrod can likely compensate for some of the terrible play calling.

Unlike last year, I’m not bitter at Sean Glennon.  He’s worked hard the whole off season to try to win the position.  Unfortunately, he was set up to fail.  You can’t put a drop back passer behind a suspect offensive line and a fleet of new recievers and expect him to perform at his best.  He’s just not what the team needs this year.

A drop back passer like Sean Glennon is best when he can evenly distribute the ball to the team’s playmakers.  “What they discovered against East Carolina…they don’t have playmakers” -ESPN Analyst…at least not yet.

Some parting thoughts…Because I hate the white out idea (WE’RE NOT!…PENN STATE!) I was intending to wear black to the Furman game (”you look like you’re going to a funeral” - “well, maybe I am”).  However, now I will be donning the #5 Jersey (even in Hurricane Hana).  I officially declare Saturday to be “#5 Jersey Day!”

P.S. Can we redshirt Stinespring?

 The following interview was taken by Kyle Tucker over at his blog.  He’s been following the preseason practices closely and his blog posts are almost enough to quench the ache and desire for the football season to start.

 QB TYROD TAYLOR
 
ON HOW PRACTICE IS GOING THROUGH THREE DAYS: “It’s going good, progressing like I wanted to be.”
 
ON THE QB BATTLE: “Like I told you from the beginning, I’m in competition with myself, actually. I’m out here to be the best quarterback I can be and the best player at my position. I’m competing hard and so is he. It’ll be up to the coaches.”
 
ON GLENNON’S DEEP BALL TO TIGHT END GREG BOONE WEDNESDAY: “We’re moving Greg Boone around. We know he’s very elusive, and he can make plays. You really get watch film to get a feel for it. (Opponents) are going to be surprised.”
 
ON THE RUNNING BACKS: “They’re looking very fast. We just have to wait and see who’ll go in front of the others.”
 
ON THE FRESHMEN RECEIVERS: “A lot of those guys have stepped up. They’ve shined as a group. They’ve been impressing a lot of people. I don’t think a lot of people thought they could learn that quick, but they’ve been in there working with the veterans.”
 
NAMING THE BEST FRESHMAN: “I can’t call it. I want to praise all those guys. Boykin looks good, just as Dyrell Roberts, Xavier Boyce and Marcus Davis. And Randall Dunn, too.”
 
ON THE LEADER AMONG THE VETERAN WIDEOUTS: “Danny Coale is looking very smooth. Ike is looking more confident, and so is Zach Luckett. We feel comfortable with our receivers. Those guys are showing the coaches they can play and that they want the ball in their hands.”

2008 ACC Team by Team Football Schedules
2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game (Tampa)—Saturday, Dec. 6

Boston College
Aug. 30 at Kent State (Cleveland)
Sept. 6 Georgia Tech
Sept. 20 UCF
Sept. 27 Rhode Island
Oct. 4 at NC State
Oct. 18 Virginia Tech
Oct. 25 at North Carolina
Nov. 1 Clemson
Nov. 8 Notre Dame
Nov. 15 at Florida State
Nov. 22 at Wake Forest
Nov. 29 Maryland

Clemson
Aug. 30 Alabama (Georgia Dome)
Sept. 6 The Citadel
Sept. 13 NC State
Sept. 20 SC State
Sept. 27 Maryland
Oct. 9 at Wake Forest (Thu.)
Oct. 18 Georgia Tech
Nov. 1 at Boston College
Nov. 8 at Florida State
Nov. 15 Duke
Nov. 22 at Virginia
Nov. 29 South Carolina (more…)

Well…love em or hate em, you don’t have much choice in the matter.  In the picture we have Tyrod Taylor, Sean Glennon and Kam Chancellor (looking like a beast, and a force to be reckoned with) sporting the new design.  Beamerball.com has a few more pics.

The spring game was a rainy mess and somehow the football seemed to match it.  Of course everyone seemed to come away with mixed reviews and opinions of what they saw.  Some people were thrilled with the improvement in the running game, while others thought it was lackluster.  Some people saw Sean Glennon the conquering hero, while others saw that it takes a whole team to succeed.  All that the fans should really gather from the spring game is that we still have a lot of work to do before the fall and hopefully some incoming wide receivers will fill some huge holes on offense.

Tyrod Taylor really didn’t have an impressive day, turning in only mediocre numbers plus one pick.  But in truth Glennon didn’t look that much better.  Fans should take this game like the coaches do, as just one scrimmage out of spring practice where there are many scrimmages.  The rumblings on Hokie message boards (especially TechSideLine.com) seem to praise Glennon for his TD passes and no picks.  Responders are fast on the draw though explaining that Glennon threw the same style pick on Tuesday, Tyrod’s O-line held together worse than a stack of Lincoln Logs, and that Michael Vick turned in terrible spring game numbers in ‘99. (more…)

The leaky athletic department has given wind that Tyrod is supposedly 90-95% healthy. He’s running and walking okay and without much pain, so there is a decent chance that we’ll get to see him in the Spring Game. I’m sure the coaching staff wants to see it as much as the fans do.

Regardless of who gets the starting quarterback job in the fall, it will be great to see both quarterbacks in action this Saturday. Make sure you watch it if you can.

Spring Game
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Starting at approximately 2:00pm
Open to Public (no tickets needed)

Well, so far its not exactly the spring practice we were hoping for. Of course we know Tyrod has far more talent than Glennon, but also know that Glennon isn’t god awful when there isn’t any pressure (only when it matters). So of course, after much of spring practice, the Hokies find themselves in a tough spot. It would have been nice to come out of spring practice with a clear picture of who the starting quarterback would be in the fall…and hopefully it was Tyrod Taylor.

This has all changed now as Tyrod Taylor has sprained his foot and likely won’t compete in the Spring Game. Until the injury, Tyrod and Glennon were on even footing statistically (oh god that was the worlds worst pun), repeatedly throwing almost identical numbers, although according to the site I’ve listed below, Glennon threw two picks in the most recent duel. I for one and terribly disappointed not to see Tyrod play. (more…)

Aside from the worst officiating I’ve ever seen at a basketball game (an embarrassment to the NIT), the other news today is the beginning of spring football practice.

This spring brings a somewhat unusual challenge to the Virginia Tech sideline; filling holes from so many star Seniors. I caught you there didn’t I? You assume the most important question is who will start at quarterback in the fall. Unfortunately, the fact is that the defense lost several key players and will need some 2008 starters to fill some big shoes.

The biggest question mark appears the be in the line backing corps. Losing both Adibi and Hall, Tech’s tandem for several years, will be the biggest weakness that needs filled. The defensive tackle position is also looking for someone with big feet. After several years of defensive domination, the Hokies may need a less stagnant offense to rack up the wins. (more…)

The Hokies didn’t look polished. The first half Hokies looked downright bad. The offense couldn’t figure it out; Tyrod Taylor was completely ineffective. Somehow though, the team pulled together and decided to go for it even though they were down 17-0. They came back and made a game out of it but ultimately Kansas came to play.

Tyrod didn’t look good either. The Kansas pass rush was more than he could handle and he was shaken up several times. I haven’t looked up his stats yet (the game just ended) but clearly the decision was made to make Glennon the primary QB. It is hard to argue with when Glennon looks good and Taylor looks bad, but I will anyway.

What happened to the quick rotations between QBs? The last few games of the season, ACC Championship excluded, Beamer was rotating them every two plays. When they were both healthy it looked like they had almost even snaps and appeared efficient. Then comes the ACC Championship and Orange Bowl.

Tyrod Taylor is rarely used and can’t get into a rhythm. You can almost see Glennon’s mistakes before they happen, but the coaching staff won’t rotate the same way. In the ACC Championship the QBs were rotated more by drives than by snaps. While the Hokies came away with the win, it looked messy. Now in the Orange Bowl, Taylor gets only a handful of snaps with questionable play calls?

Our offense went from terrible to functional when the rotation was quick. The QBs were kept fresh; the defenses were kept off balance; the team seemed to get fired up. But no, we wouldn’t want to keep using a system that works. Lets let Glennon be our main quarterback again. Lets make sure that we burned Tyrod Taylor’s redshirt for no reason.

If Glennon was behind an O line like BC’s or USC’s then there is no question that he could be very good. However, our team just isn’t built for his style of play. He’s better now, no doubt, and I hate trashing on him over and over but we need Tyrod as our starter.

If Tyrod doesn’t get the first string call in the off season so we can build our unit around his style of play, I’m afraid next year will look even meeker. We’re already losing a pile of players and we definitely can’t have Glennon at the helm behind a once again terrible offensive line.

See Also: Jayski’s Rant on SpitzerTailgate

We’ve been working diligently over the past several weeks to complete the transition of all the information from the old Tyrod Taylor site onto this one. We think we have most of it. This design tested to be more professional looking and eye catching than the last design. Here is our latest Tyrod Taylor Wallpaper to keep you occupied before the Orange Bowl.

After reading all the experts picked Kansas, I can’t help but feel like the Mohawks don’t have a chance. The Hokies are healthy and firing on all cyllinders. Meanwhile the Mohawks didn’t beat a ranked team all season.