Tech Talk Live Notes for 10/11/10

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.


Jim Weaver

  • Tyrod Taylor is a great player and a great person. He is now Tech’s all-time
    quarterback wins leader.
  • Every team in the ACC has some issues. Tech has to take it one game at a time
    and keep playing better each week.
  • The ACC meetings in Blacksburg last week went well. An 18 game men’s
    basketball schedule was discussed. They also talked about nine football games.
    They are studying other conferences who have already done so.
  • In basketball, small conference teams want $70-80K for buy games. That’s a
    high price, especially if you don’t have a big arena like UNC. In football, Tech
    will pay around $750-800K. If the league added conference games for both sports,
    schools could save money on those buy games.
  • Tech continues to renovate their facilities each year, and sometimes people
    don’t notice. This year they put in railings on the aisles in the East and West
    stands. The restrooms on the West side have also been renovated.
  • Weaver feels like Tech has an ideal capacity for Lane Stadium. You would
    rather have a great demand for seats than a few thousand empty seats to pay debt
    service on.
  • The agent events at UNC can happen everywhere. You must do a great job of
    educating your players about the laws and rules.
  • The NCAA will never allow college football players to be paid if players from
    all the other sports are not paid.
  • Russell Wilson is still eligible for football despite making a lot of money
    as a fourth round draft pick in baseball. That’s a difficult situation, but it’s
    completely legal.

George Markantonis

  • Markantonis
    is the President/Managing Director of Kerzner International Bahamas. He is
    putting on "The Battle at Atlantis" in December, which will feature
    Virginia Tech vs. Mississippi State, as well as Georgia Tech vs. Richmond at
    Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
  • The favorite sport in the Bahamas is basketball. He thought it would be great
    to stage basketball events. In 2011 there could be a major tournament. In 2010,
    it will feature four teams, and the Hokies will be playing. It’s not a
    tournament, but a two game event.
  • They have a 60,000 square foot facility that they will convert into a 4,500
    seat arena on December 18. Atlantis is the biggest resort is the Caribbean. They
    have had shows such as Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood. Sports was the logical
    next step after hosting the Miss Universe contest last year.
  • They have spent over half-a-million dollars to get the right equipment. Over
    a five day period, the facility will be transformed into the most beautiful
    basketball facility in the world.
  • Tech fans can check out the event at battleatatlantis.com. Fans can get a
    special rate for as cheap as $149 per night, and that includes two tickets to
    the game.
  • Virginia Tech vs. Mississippi State could be a critical game for the season.
    Both teams narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last year.
  • Flying to the Bahamas is like flying to Ft. Lauderdale. It’s an easy commute.

Bud Foster

  • Tech played pretty well at times, but they were inconsistent. They are making
    some young mistakes. Every mistake made can be corrected. That’s encouraging.
  • Central Michigan executed really well on their first drive. Tech played
    really well over the next 2.5 quarters.
  • Foster was upset about three plays: a stop and go that hit for a big gain,
    the long run and the second touchdown where the receiver was wide open.
  • Antone
    Exum struggled a little bit on Saturday. It’s all about maturity. Foster talked
    to Exum in front of all the defensive backs about his focus. He played at a very
    high level in the previous three games. There were a handful of players who
    showed their lack of maturity against Central Michigan, and he was one of those
    guys.
  • Alonzo Tweedy has a lot of ability. He missed so much practice time in August
    with that injury. He’s behind mentally right now. He just needs to perform more
    consistently defensively.
  • In the nickel package, Eddie Whitley slides down and plays the whip position.
    The nickel is all about getting Tech’s best athletes on the field when the
    opponent goes with a spread formation.
  • J.R. Collins and James Gayle played very well. They each put pressure on the
    quarterback. They have great motors. They played a lot of snaps on Saturday.
  • Derrick Hopkins has a chance to be a dynamic defensive tackle, and Kyle
    Fuller has played very well when he’s seen action. Foster really likes both
    guys.
  • It looks more and more like Chase Williams will redshirt. He practices with
    the defense rather than the scout team, but there would have to be a major
    injury for him to not redshirt.
  • Tech has had the nickel package in the past, but they haven’t used it much.
    They’ve also used the 30 package. The last time they used it was against Western
    Michigan in 2002.
  • Barquell Rivers is progressing, but not as quickly as he’d like to. He’s
    working with the scout team, and he has scrimmaged a bit on Mondays. That was a
    terrible injury. He tore the tendon from the bone. He really got sore after last
    week’s scrimmage. He can run, but it’s tough to stop. Foster doesn’t think he’ll
    play this year.
  • Zach Luckett is a little bit all over the place on defense. He missed all of
    spring ball and wasn’t full speed during August. Since he’s a senior, the Hokies
    would rather look at younger guys right now in that role.
  • Tech got called for hand placement on Exum’s pass interference calls against
    NC State. Carmichael never even touched the guy on his pass interference call
    against NC State. However, against CMU he needed to turn and look for the
    football. Besides hitting in baseball, the hardest thing in sports is to play
    cornerback at a high level of football.
  • Tech dropped four interceptions against CMU. That would have helped the
    defense get off the field and helped their stats tremendously.
  • If Foster was a head coach, what kind of an offense would he like to run? He
    likes the option game, he likes what Oregon is doing. They spread you out and
    run the option. They do a lot of things that are a real pain to defend. To win
    championships you have to run the football, and you can do that a number of
    different ways.
  • Over the last two weeks, Tech has averaged over eight yards per carry. They’d
    like to control the ball a little more, as many of their runs have been long
    gains.
  • Tech had a punt safe called on Jayron Hosley’s punt return. They were just
    trying to make sure CMU didn’t fake a punt. The last time Tech returned a punt
    for a touchdown on a punt safe call was when Andre Davis did it against East
    Carolina.
  • Bruce Taylor has played very well for Tech. He’s consistent, and he continues
    to get better. He plays with a high motor.
  • Telvion Clark has a tremendous upside. He needs to perform at a more
    consistent basis. Linebacker is a tough position to play in the Tech defense.
  • Zack McCray, Nick Acree and Duan Perez-Means are very good prospects. McCray
    came to the coaches and said things were moving a little too fast for him and
    that he should redshirt. He has to get more physical at the point of attack.
  • There’s a chance Foster could lose Chris Drager to tight end next year. That
    means Zack McCray and Duan Perez-Means have to be ready to go. They can really
    run.
  • Foster was glad to see Jack Tyler and Tariq Edwards play well on Saturday.
    Tyler reminds Foster of Brett Warren. Right now he’s a very good football player
    against the run. He needs to get more consistent in pass coverage. He’s really
    going to help the Hokies down the road.
  • Foster said the Hokies really need more production from the backer position.
    He was pleased that Tariq Edwards played very well on Saturday in his limited
    action.
  • Wake Forest is a very well-coached football team. They will spread the
    defense out. They have good players at the skill positions. They lost two
    heartbreakers back to back.

Chris Drager

  • Drager
    got his bell rung on Saturday. It hasn’t been technically called a concussion,
    but Drager is day to day right now.
  • Drager was disappointed with the loss and his injury in the first game. He
    hasn’t played his best football yet.
  • Drager doesn’t feel like he has a true position. He’s really enjoying
    defensive end right now. He picked the position up quickly.
  • The biggest transition to defensive end was gaining a motor. You really have
    to have a motor to play that position for Tech.
  • Sacking a quarterbacks gives you a much bigger rush than catching a pass.
  • Drager was never nervous in the NC State game. He always felt like Tech was
    in the game. It’s 60 minutes.
  • Drager hasn’t seen too much film on Wake, but they are a good offensive
    football team. They throw the football a lot. Tech will be prepared for
    everything. They are taking one game at a time right now.
  • Rashad Carmichael was really the guy who took over the vocal leadership spot
    after the loss to James Madison.
  • Drager graduated from Tech in just three years. He took a lot of summer
    classes and 12-15 credits every semester. He’s still not sure what he wants to
    do when he graduates.

Greg Nosal

  • Nosal
    has a soft cast on his hand after losing the tip of his pinkie in the Central
    Michigan game. He played through the injury and had it sewn back on after the
    game.
  • It happened close to halftime. He got his pinkie caught in a guy’s facemask.
    He played the rest of the series, and took off his glove when he got to the
    sideline. He took off his glove, and noticed that the whole tip was missing and
    the bone was sticking out.
  • The training staff eventually found the tip of the pinkie in his glove.
  • It was pretty shocking to see his bone sticking out of his finger. He called
    the trainer, who ran him to the locker room. They gave him shots and bandaged it
    all up.
  • Despite missing part of his finger, he went back in the game in the second
    half. The team was struggling a bit offensively, and he wanted to help them get
    something going. Sitting out wasn’t an option.
  • His finger is going to be fine. He has six or seven stitches. In a couple of
    months it will look like a normal finger again.
  • Nosal expects to be practicing full speed again on Tuesday or Wednesday.
  • Nosal feels like the offensive line is starting to click. They took full
    blame for the struggles early in the season, but they’ve started to step it up.
  • Tech can definitely play better offensively. They have scored over 40 points
    the last two games, but they can get a lot better.
  • It’s a great feeling for Tyrod Taylor and David Wilson to score quickly. It
    gets the offense off the field fast.
  • The pain in his finger goes on and off. It throbs at times, but he’ll be
    fine.

Frank Beamer

  • Beamer
    said he got way too much information on Nosal’s injury. It says a lot about
    Nosal for him to come back into that football game.
  • Beamer talked to the entire team on Monday. He didn’t think they played as
    sharp as a football team as they needed to. Some assumed that Tech would win.
    That’s a natural thing. But for the Hokies to get where they want to go, they
    can’t do that.
  • Tech was 0-of-8 on third downs. On one of those eight, CMU had a better
    defensive play called than Tech’s offensive play. On the others, it was the
    Hokies stopping themselves.
  • Deferring to the second half gives Virginia Tech one more possession in the
    second half. However, the last two weeks the Hokies haven’t been able to stop
    the other team on their opening drive. That’s something they will discuss as a
    staff.
  • Beamer is happy for his son, Shane. He is a defensive coach and recruiting
    coordinator for South Carolina, who knocked off #1 Alabama this past weekend.
  • Tech wants to be more consistent offensively. They already have the homerun
    threat. They’ll be very dangerous if they can start to get consistent.
  • Steven Friday is playing great football. James Gayle is a great effort guy.
    He’ll only get better as he gets more experience. Chris Drager is really giving
    the Hokies something at defensive end.
  • Tech lost some really good playmakers like Jason Worilds, Nekos Brown, Cody
    Grimm and Kam Chancellor. Some young guys are coming around, but it takes time.
  • Ryan Williams has to be 100% before he can come back. Running backs cut and
    accelerate so much. They don’t want him to reinjure it.
  • Tech is hoping to raise $10K for breast cancer awareness by selling pink
    wristbands.
  • Beamer thought the officials on Saturday did a very good job. They
    communicated very well and were in control of the game. They were MAC officials.
  • To letter at Virginia Tech in football, you have to play 115 plays during the
    season, or start on one of the special teams throughout the entire season. They
    also leave a spot for coaches’ discretion.
  • Tech has some good looking young players on their scout team: Nick Dew,
    Dominique Patterson, Duan Perez-Means, Zack McCray, Nick Acree … the young
    talent looks good.
  • Recruiting is going well right now. Tech just doesn’t have a lot of
    scholarships to give. Beamer would really like to get some tight ends. They are
    thin at that position right now. Tight ends also make good players at other
    positions if you move them.
  • Tech is also involved with some quarterbacks. That’s one position you better
    make sure you are good at.
  • Beamer wants to see some up tempo practices this week. He wants to see them
    keep getting better all week.

Monday was Day 2,144 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.