Tech Talk Live (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 Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.
Bull & Bones is the Sponsor of our Tech Talk Live Notes
The
new Tech Talk Live show is broadcast from Bull & Bones Brewhaus and Grill in
the First & Main shopping center in Blacksburg, and TechSideline.com is
pleased to welcome Bull & Bones as sponsor of our Tech Talk Live Notes. Bull
& Bones Brewhaus & Grill is a brewpub with both an upscale dining room
and a separate sports bar with a casual dining area
- Call Ahead Seating: 540-953-BULL(2855)
- Hours: Sun.-Sat. 11am-2am, Sun. Brunch 11am-3pm
Seth Greenberg
- Greenberg is currently on the road recruiting, and he was in Atlanta on
Monday. He gave the team Monday off for exams, but they’ll get back at it on
Tuesday. - Tech did a much better job of guarding the ball screens in the second half
on Saturday night. The Hokies still need a lot of work with their zone
offense. - In their second straight road game against a Big Ten opponent, Tech has
lost a second half lead, but managed to take it right back. That’s big. - Erick Green gave the Hokies some good minutes, and J.T. Thompson had some
more bounce in his step as well. - Malcolm Delaney came through with some huge plays down the stretch. That’s
what he’s supposed to do. - Recruiting is like shaving. If you miss a day, you look like a bum. It’s
important for Tech to work hard on the recruiting trail and try to improve
their program. - Greenberg has been happy with Tech’s non-conference attendance so far. It
shows that the program is growing, and fans are coming to see the Hokies
rather than who the Hokies are playing. - Virginia Tech is getting better, and that’s the important thing. They are
getting better in the man offense, and they are feeding the post pretty
well. They have to make some improvements against the zone defense.
Jim Weaver
- Weaver announced that defensive coordinator Bud Foster would be with the
Hokies for another five years. If Bud is going to be a defensive
coordinator, it needs to be at Virginia Tech. - The Hokies have a little less than 2,500 tickets remaining for the Chick-fil-A
Bowl. Weaver is happy with the way Tech fans have responded.
Bud Foster
- Foster is very appreciative of the new contract. It’s an exciting time for
him. He’s looking forward to bigger and better things at Virginia Tech. - Foster has been flattered to receive all this attention. Urban Meyer
called him, complimented the program, and wanted to feel out Foster for his
interest in the Florida defensive coordinator job. Jimbo Fisher of Florida
State and Mark Richt of Georgia also called. - Foster has been with Beamer for 31 years, either as a player or a coach.
He went to Beamer right away and told him what was going on. - Foster talked to Beamer and Weaver about whether he would have to take a
coordinator job somewhere else in order to get serious consideration for a
head coaching job down the line. They decided that it wasn’t necessary. - To leave Virginia Tech, Foster is going to have to receive a really
special offer. He’s very appreciative of what Tech has set up for him. - The new package is an annuity package, which is separate from Foster’s
regular salary. Money gets added on each year, and he’ll be given the lump
sum if he remains at Tech for another five years. - Foster is extremely proud of what they’ve managed to accomplish at
Virginia Tech. It gives him a lot of desire to continue to improve.
Torrian Gray
- It’s exciting to know that Bud Foster will continue to be at Virginia
Tech. It’s exciting and comforting. - Foster’s defenses have been very consistent throughout his tenure. The
players always play hard and tough, and they are always good. It’s easy to
see why so many other coaches want him as their defensive coordinators. - The secondary played well for the most part this year, but Gray wasn’t
happy with the consistency. - Stephan Virgil never really got back to 100%. He got close towards the end
of the year, but he’s still not there. The grind of the season hasn’t
allowed him to get completely healthy. - Rashad Carmichael was a great blessing for Tech. Gray wasn’t sure he was
ever a starting caliber player. He really had some great performances this
year. Gray feels bad for Carmichael, because he wasn’t named an
All-Conference performer. - Tech will need to find a new free safety next year. He will need to not
only play well, but to be knowledgeable enough to call out the checks and
signals presnap. Eddie Whitley will get a chance, and Antone Exum will be
there as well. Between those two guys, Gray hopes one is able to take over
effectively. - Tennessee is a physical football team on offense. They are exactly what
the SEC is all about. They will pound you, and then work you with play
action. - UT’s 7-5 record doesn’t give them the credit they deserve. They played
Florida and Alabama down to the wire. - The team is practicing, but some guys aren’t there because they are taking
exams or preparing for exams. The whole team will be back together on
Thursday, and that’s when they will start preparing for Tennessee. - When you’re a player, you want to have fun on the bowl trip. But if the
coaches are emphasizing working hard and preparing for the game, the players
will be in the right mindframe. - Gray was in Atlanta and Northern Virginia last week recruiting. Tech is
pretty much done with 2010 recruiting. They are just getting a head start
for the 2011 class. - The big difference in the SEC and the rest of the conferences is the
linemen on both sides of the ball. The SEC has done a great job of
recruiting and developing skilled linemen. - Gray still communicates with former players. Brandon Flowers texts him a
lot. Macho Harris is tougher to get in touch with, but occasionally Harris
will drop him a line. - Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton really improved as the season
progressed. They have been a very good running team, and that has opened the
playaction and rollouts with Crompton. - The biggest key for Tech in this game is stopping the run. The Vols are
similar to Alabama. They have Montario Hardesty, a very good running back
and former Tech recruiting target. - Tech wants to keep the 10-win streak alive, and Gray also wants to beat an
SEC school. This is a big game. - The Hokies are fortunate to have a lot of good players in their geographic
region. Tech will go get the Jayron Hosleys and Darren Evans when they have
a connection in another region, but it’s much easier to recruit close to
home. - Tech doesn’t recruit against Tennessee head-to-head as much as you might
think, considering how close the two schools are.
Bruce Garnes
- Garnes has been at Tech for 20 years, and he’s an operations assistant.
He’s been responsible for getting the players on Tech Talk Live each week.
They are taking exams this week, and couldn’t be on the show on Monday. - Garnes is having breakfast with all the true freshman at 7am each day. He
makes sure they are up and in study hall each morning during exams. - After 20 years in Blacksburg, Garnes knows exactly what Coach Beamer wants
most of the time. - Garnes’ job puts him a little closer to the players than most of the rest
of the staff. Some of the older players are more like brothers. - The Hokies are recruiting good kids now, and it’s a lot easier to keep
them under control when they are naturally well-behaved. - This bowl game is big. People at Tech have always wanted to play
Tennessee. It’s a game that should be played every once in a while. - Some players that VT recruited in direct competition with Tennessee were
Vince Hall, Chris Ellis, Jerod Mayo, Montario Hardesty and Cris Hill.
Generally Tennessee recruits in the south, rather than going east into
Virginia. - Tech always tells the players to let them know if there’s ever a recruit
on campus who isn’t a good fit. It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened
a time or two since Garnes has been in Blacksburg. - Garnes considers Blacksburg home. He never thought he’d be here for 20
years back when he arrived as a student manager. - Tech is 0-2 in Atlanta, and they played two very good teams in Atlanta.
The Hokies will be ready to play on the 31st.
Monday was Day 1,843 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.
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