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I’m going to add my two cents worth to the regional and national analysis of the Virginia Tech melt-down. Others have blamed the players for not tackling, not blocking, being out of position, player confusion in their defensive formations, and much more. This is a good argument but I see a totally different problem and it starts with the total responsibilities of the entire coaching staff.
I don’t buy the excuse of coaches saying their players are inexperienced. Why are they inexperienced? It is the responsibility of the coaches to give them playing time instead of red-shirting good athletes who seldom stay at Tech for the duration of their eligibility. The coaches are responsible for recruiting quality players who provide a balanced team of talent at all positions year in and year out. This hasn’t been happening and much of the failure of Tech’s football program can be attributed to the failure of the coaching staff to maximize the strength and talent of their total team each and every year. I see a coaching staff that has been compensated with competitively high salaries when their coaching results curve continues to drop to new lows.
Coach Beamer earned the title Beamer-Ball in past seasons for his strong and well-coached special teams but now we see those teams as a liability to the overall success of the total team. I and others aren’t qualified to get to the root of this problem but Coach Beamer is and he should take a step back and analyze this situation and correct it. If players can’t tackle, the coaches should coach better tackling. If the offensive line can’t block, the coaches should coach better blocking techniques. If the team lacks talent in these areas, this is the fault of the coaches recruiting efforts, premium coaching of all players during practice sessions, and responsibility of the coaches to give all players adequate playing time.
Bud Foster has been a national success as a Defensive Coordinator and much of that success came by way of superb talent being recruited each and every year. There seems to have been a gap in the successful yearly recruiting of defensive positions. If the defensive unit has adequate talent, it is being concealed by the on-field confusion of some of the players. This is a coaching problem, not a player problem.
The Offensive Coordinator issue has been an annual complaint for years. The one point I want to make is that Tech has more speed and raw talent among its running backs and wide receivers this year than at any time since I’ve been a Tech football fan. Surely the Offensive Coordinator is flexible enough to use this strength to the maximum benefit of the team, which if done will provide positive results. If the offensive line isn’t blocking, design and use plays that get the running backs to the outside as quickly as possible. This will not only gain yardage and get first downs, but it will wear down the opposing team defensive unit and then maybe the Tech offensive line will be able to block more effectively.
David Wilson is a rare athlete and possesses a wealth of raw talent that must be molded and coached such that he can play to his athletic potential. He is a high-strung athlete and must learn to funnel his energy and nerves in the right direction at the right time when he is on the playing field. Is anyone coaching this fine athlete? If so, it certainly doesn’t show and with that being said, the responsible coach should spend more time with Wilson to hasten his progress toward being the fine athlete he is capable of being.
Coaches and players need to stop making excuses and concentrate on improving upon their weaknesses. This can only be done if the weaknesses of players and coaches are first identified and secondly if the players and coaches are committed to doing their job. The loss to Boise State and then to JMU could have been avoided if the coaching staff had been doing their job. They don’t seem to acknowledge to their players that college football is much faster and comprised of more sophisticated formations and plays than these players ever saw during their high school career.
Come on coaches, you are being paid handsomely but your results are becoming less and less formidable and this must change immediately. I like you and I want you to succeed because your individual successes will lead to success of the Tech football program. Make it happen!!!