2009-2010 Tech Talk Live Notes for 12/21/09

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.

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

• It has bee a good start. Greenberg is most pleased with the improvement
  the team has made. Several guys have stepped up their game. Most
  importantly, they are defending with a purpose. If they continue to improve,
  the Hokies will have a chance.
• Greenberg was very thankful for the fans who showed up to the Charleston
  Southern game, despite the snow. Tech’s attendance has been good this
  preseason, and that’s a good indicator that fans are continuing to take
  ownership in the program.
• Basketball is a long season. You have to improve week to week. Malcolm
  Delaney is starting to see the big picture. He’s understanding his
  teammates’ confidence levels and the development of freshmen. He understands
  what each of his teammates need to do to be successful.
• When Greenberg is squatted down with his head in his hands during games,
  he’s still watching the game. He joked that it might look like he’s having a
  migraine, but he’s watching. After the game, he can generally review what
  happened play by play.
• Tech will continue to see zone defenses until they start shooting more
  consistently. They worked on zone offense for 15 or 20 minutes on Monday.
  They are trying to get the ball in the lane and trying to get Delaney off
  the point.
• Tech is a really good offensive rebounding team against man-to-man, but
  not so much against the zone.
• Cadarian Raines will have an x-ray on Tuesday. He had a good practice on
  Monday. He has a screw in his foot, and Greenberg thinks the cold weather
  has been the problem. He can play in nine games up to Tech’s 15th game and
  still get a medical redshirt.
• 2010 signee Jarrell Eddie is a 6-7 small forward with a great work ethic.
  He is strong and he shoots the ball with range. He has been coming to Tech
  basketball camps since he was in eighth grade.
• Fellow 2010 signee Tyrone Garland is a typical Philly guard. He
  understands the game and passes the ball where you can catch it. He’s led
  his league in scoring. When Tech played in Philadelphia earlier this year,
  Garland was there and spent a lot of time with the team. He’s a young
  senior, only 16 years old right now.
• UMBC is struggling this year, but they’ve lost three or four very close
  games. They made the NCAA tournament two years ago. The Tech players will
  get a break until December 26th following this game, so there’s no reason
  for them to not play hard on Tuesday.

• Jim Weaver had a great time in New York accepting the John L. Toner award,
  which is basically the Heisman Trophy for athletic directors.
• Weaver is pleased with the basketball team. They are playing really hard,
  and they are defending very well. Victor Davila looks more comfortable in
  his role. Seth has created some solid depth as well.
• Charleston Southern arrived on Friday, and all three officials were in
  town. The ACC said if the visiting team is there and the officials are
  there, you are going to play.
• Tech has sold a little more than 16,000 tickets to the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
  They have about 1,500 to go. If the Hokies don’t sell them all, they will
  transfer the remainder back to the Chick-fil-A Bowl to make sure the game is
  a sellout.
• The Monday Night Labor Day game is the most treasured spot in college
  football. The ratings for that game is always higher than in any other game.
  ESPN is talking to the ACC about the game, and it could potentially involve
  Virginia Tech.
• The athletics department is very responsible fiscally. They make very
  responsible decisions, and they run in the black every year. The Hokies
  needed a basketball practice facility to compete in recruiting. Tech is also
  building a new football locker room.
• Weaver thinks the Big Ten will expand. Some of their leadership sees the
  advantage of having a Big Ten Championship Game.

• Newsome is ready for the bowl game. They had a good practice on Monday,
  and the team is getting prepared.
• The Hokies had a quick practice on Monday, and it was fast and furious.
  They are staying fresh, but practicing hard.
• Ed Wang improved as much as anybody Tech has ever had up front. Wang has a
  very bright future.
• Greg Nosal had a very good year, and Jaymes Brooks was good. They are
  good, young players. Beau Warren and Michael Via played well at center.
• This is Tech’s most athletic line under Newsome. They have some guys who
  can move their feet.
• Ed Wang is playing in the Senior Bowl, and Sergio Render is playing the
  East-West Shrine Game. Wang needs to continue to be more physical in the run
  game. Render needs to be more consistent. That will help their draft stock
  go up.
• Newsome likes where Nick Becton is right now. He has a chance to compete
  for the starting left tackle spot next season. The staff is discussing
  moving Via to tackle and using Andrew Miller as the backup center next year.
  Via can really move his feet.



• Andrew Miller had a shoulder injury towards the end of the year, but he
  should be back for the spring. He’s a strong guy who plays with good
  leverage.
• Tennessee is very good up front. They try to get a safety in the box to
  outnumber you. They are athletic up front and play smart.
• Tennessee isn’t that big up front, but they are speed guys. Dan Williams
  is a defensive tackle who will play in the Senior Bowl. This group reminds
  Newsome of a smaller, faster version of North Carolina.
• The offensive line is a tough position to play early. There is so much
  terminology, and the defensive linemen are so fast and so strong. It
  generally takes a couple of years of development.
• Mike London will really work the Tidewater area for Virginia, but Virginia
  Tech will continue to do what they’ve always done. Newsome and Coach Cav
  will camp out in the Tidewater because they don’t have major
  responsibilities out of state.
• The 2010 offensive line recruiting class is athletic. That’s Tech’s first
  priority in offensive line recruiting.
• Tech has to be physical against Tennessee. That’s the case every week, but
  it’s even more true against the Vols. They have to create some space for
  Ryan Williams.

• Tech had a good year. They lost to two teams in the Top 10. They played
  well against Alabama, but obviously Alabama is very good. Sometimes coaches
  don’t give credit to the other team when they lose, but when the Hokies lost
  this year, they lost to some very talented teams.
• In-state recruits no longer have to leave the state to play for a Top 10
  program. They don’t have to go to Knoxville or Ann Arbor.
• Jim Cavanaugh gave Mike London a hard time recently at the Dudley Award
  dinner. London made a comment about “recapturing the state”.
  Cavanaugh told him that to recapture something meant you had to possess it
  previously, and UVA never had it previously.
• London will do a good job establishing relationships. The Hokies will have
  to counter it, but they will be fine. This staff has been around the block a
  time or two.
• Tech will have a Junior Day again this year. The Hokies play Maryland in
  basketball for the planned weekend, so it should be a fun visit.
• Cam Martin is a great kid. He has a new job that he’ll start in January.
  Cav talked to the personnel department for the company who hired Cam, and
  told them every good thing you hear about Martin is true.
• Cody Grimm is what Cav calls a one-timer. He doesn’t need a lot of reps.
  He picks up new things and adjustments after doing it just once.
• Grimm has never had a bad day in his life. He’s a neat guy. Cav can’t say
  on the air some of the things he’s done over the years, but he’s been fun.
  With Grimm and Matt Reidy, the meeting room is fun to go into each day.
• Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty is a hard-nosed runner. He’s a load. You
  can’t arm tackle him. The offensive line is very good. The Hokies have to
  stop the run. Hardesty is a lot like Mark Ingram, and the line is a lot like
  the Alabama offensive line.
• Jonathan Crompton has done a solid job this year. He isn’t asked to make a
  lot of difficult reads. There are a lot of dumpoffs. The coaching staff has
  done a great job using Crompton this season. Tennessee has every play-action
  known to man.

• Tech has had some good practices. The snow got them a little bit, but they
  adjusted and players practiced well indoors. That might be beneficial since
  the game will be played indoors. The Hokies will practice in the Falcons’
  indoor facility a few times once they get to Atlanta.
• Beamer was glad to see Cody Grimm win the Dudley Award. He’s such a
  valuable player. He’s a great defender, and he plays all the special teams.
• Recruiting is going great. Tech is recruiting just one player right now,
  so the Hokies are basically done. Beamer will go out to some high schools in
  January and start working on the 2011 class.
• Tennessee is really good. They continued to improve all season. Montario
  Hardesty is an excellent back. This is a team that had Alabama on the ropes.
• Nubian Peak is listed as a flanker, and his future is probably at wide
  receiver. It’s a new position for him, but this spring will be an important
  learning time. He’s fast and he can jump, he just has to adapt to the
  position.
• Tech will keep working hard to get their share of players in-state. The
  percentages are high in Tech’s favor recently, and they need to keep the
  trend going.
• There are 21 players in this senior class. Eight have already graduated,
  five graduated on Friday, and the other eight are on schedule to graduate
  this spring.
• Billy Hite has been at Tech for 32 years. He is the longest tenured
  assistant coach in the country. He’s been a great coach and he’s meant a lot
  to the program.

Monday was Day 1,850 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.