2007-08 Hokie Hotline Notes for 10/15/07

The Hokie Hotline (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person at Awful Arthur’s in Blacksburg, and you can also watch the archive on hokietv.com.

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Charley Wiles

• Wiles has been pleased with the defensive line. They have steadily
  improved. They have been able to put pressure on the quarterback and play in
  the backfield.
• Chris Ellis is having a very good year. Wiles has never coached a player
  who plays harder than Ellis. Orion Martin is also having a good year from
  the other defensive end spot.
• The goal every year is to develop depth and play a lot of players. It
  takes depth to play great defense.
• At defensive tackle, Carlton Powell, Barry Booker and Kory Robertson have
  a chance to get drafted or sign a free agent contract. At defensive end,
  Chris Ellis is definitely a prospect.
• Duke did a lot of different things to try to sucker Ellis into a personal
  foul, but he walked away every time.
• It’s great to see Darryl Tapp playing well in the NFL. He’s a winner in
  everything he does.
• Kwamaine Battle is a very explosive athlete whom they thought about
  playing this year as a true freshman. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery.
  And later on, he’ll have to get his other shoulder done.
• Next year, Demetrius Taylor and Steven Friday will start to figure in.
  Justin Young, John Graves and Kwamaine Battle will factor in at defensive
  tackle. Cordarrow Thompson needs to lose a few pounds.
• Most guys on the team who are currently overweight came to Tech out of
  high school overweight.
• The defensive line works against the scout team offensive line every day.
  William Alvarez is big and strong. He might have to drop a few pounds. His
  ideal weight is probably in the 310 range. He should settle in at offensive
  guard.
• A.B. Latif is a pure guard. Blake DeChristopher is a tackle or a guard.
  Jaymes Brooks is very athletic, and Wiles would love to have him at
  defensive tackle. He was the offensive scout team player of the week. Tech
  didn’t miss on any offensive line recruits.
• You can’t recruit a bunch of defensive linemen and then move them to the
  offensive line anymore. You need to recruit true offensive linemen, and that’s
  what Tech is doing.
• BC quarterback Matt Ryan is a great talent and a class kid. He has great
  poise and toughness.
• Gosder Cherilus is at left tackle, and he’ll probably be a first round
  pick. In fact, if he had left following the 2006 season, he likely would
  have been taken in the first round.
• This is going to be a big time football game, and that’s why Tech’s
  players came to Blacksburg.
• Matt Ryan has a lot of snaps under his belt. He’s a very experienced
  player, and a very smart player. He’ll probably be a first round pick as
  well.

• Frank Beamer and his staff do a great job in preparation. That showed
  against Duke, who had been playing everyone else close, including Miami and
  Wake Forest.
• Weaver has never seen an athletic director be fired two days after a
  football loss, because of the loss. That’s what happened at Nebraska on
  Monday.
• It’s going to be a treat to play at Nebraska next year. Cornhusker fans
  are great.
• Weaver has talked to Kentucky about a series in the past, but that doesn’t
  look like it’s possible at this point in time.
• There is a huge men’s soccer game Friday night. Tech’s team is
  outstanding, ranked in the top 10, and they are taking on UNC on Friday.
• The golf team won a huge tournament over the weekend, which included eight
  teams ranked in the top 50.
• Of any program at Tech, men’s soccer is probably the closest to winning a
  national championship. The golf program also has potential.
• The SEC has a rule where schools get fined if their fans rushed the field.
  Weaver said he would be against a rule like that in the ACC. It’s not
  necessary. Tech works very hard to get the goalposts down and escort the
  visiting team off the field.
• There has been no talk recently of reseating Cassell Coliseum. There are
  more important things on the agenda.
• Technically, the earliest you can get to your parking spot for the BC game
  is at 5 pm. Parking services would really like for people to wait until 5 pm
  to get to campus. That will give the academic staff time to leave.
• The NCAA is cracking down on basketball coaches cursing, etc. at officials
  this year. Weaver agrees with the rule, but he disagrees with the idea of
  rewarding officials with better postseason assignments for making the calls
  during the games.

• The crowd turnout at Duke was great, and the players really responded.
  They played really well against Duke.
• Sean Glennon came in and played very well. Brett Warren stepped in for
  Vince Hall and played great.
• Tyrod Taylor was also playing very well before he got hurt. Whichever
  quarterback plays against BC, the Hokies are going to have a good one.
• Tyrod Taylor will be in a boot until Saturday, and then he’ll be
  reevaluated. High ankle sprains heal differently for everybody.
• Cam Martin has mono, and he is questionable for BC. Cody Grimm is his
  backup, and he’s a top notch special teams player.
• Branden Ore is banged up, and the timing of the offense hasn’t been good.
  With Wang back and Marshman at guard, they now have their best OL on the
  field.
• Wang did fine against Duke. He really makes a difference out in space. He’s
  got good feet and can redirect his body.
• Virginia Tech has gotten better, and they’ll continue to get better. They
  are set on their offensive line now, and they can go full speed ahead.
• Jahre Cheeseman can play, but he didn’t do so well against Duke. But he’s
  a thick runner with some speed, and has potential.
• Sean Glennon is very smart about knowing where the ball needs to go. Right
  now there are no thoughts about playing two quarterbacks. It’s a hard thing
  to do.
• Only four top 5 teams have ever visited Blacksburg. Another will be in
  town a week from Thursday in Boston College.
• This group of true freshmen is going to be very good. They are good
  players and good people. Chris Drager was playing, but got hurt. He’s going
  to be a very good player, either at tight end or defensive end.
• Cris Hill is going to be a very good defensive back, and Barquell Rivers
  has talent at linebacker. And all the offensive linemen are talented.
• The Hokies will have hour and a half practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  They will take Thursday and Friday off, and then begin preparations for BC
  on Saturday.
• BC is just a very good team, especially throwing the ball. Tech is still
  working on their game plans for the Eagles. They have to mix up their
  coverages and disguise their coverages.
• If D.J. Parker got hurt, Kam Chancellor would probably slide over to free
  safety. Davon Morgan is a true freshman, and he’s going to be a very good
  free safety in time.
• Everybody has injuries at this point in the season. Cody Grimm will do a
  great job if Cam Martin can’t go. Beamer has a lot of confidence in him.
• Beamer ended the show by saying that if he had to grade the team at this
  point, it would be “about a B.”

Monday was Day 1,045 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.