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Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Line: VT +7
So we have an awesome matchup in week 1 here. Everyone knows I am a VT
alum and love my team. I also respect what Alabama has become as they had my
largest wager of last season. It was an unfortunate loss but it is what it is.
The Hokies have not lost much from last season at all. The biggest loss in my
opinion is their greatest gain. With Sean Glennon finally departing Blacksburg
the Hokies will have 1 quarterback running the show. I have seen all the stats
out there where VT allows more sacks than any other team. What people fail to
realize is Glennon was almost solely responsible for those sacks. He had no
ticking clock in his head and would sit back there with his cinder blocks for
feet. If he did decide to get a pass off he would do so as he was getting hit
and throw an interception. VT returns 3 offensive lineman, including both
tackles. If you think sacks are going to be a problem you are mistaken. On defense the Hokies biggest loss was Macho
Harris. He will be tough to replace but they still have one of the top
secondaries in the nation. With Virgil returning and Chancellor being the best
athlete on the team the secondary is fine. My biggest concern in this one is
the athleticism of the linebackers. I have never been a fan of Cody Grimm, son
of former Redskins lineman, at outside linebacker. He just isn’t fast enough to
compete against an SEC squad and Bama will definitely look to exploit this
matchup. The strongest point of the Hokie D in my eyes is the defensive line.
They return Jason Worilds who is finally healthy. This dude was dominating
games with a separated shoulder last year. He will record 10+ sacks and be a 1st
round pick if he can remain healthy. He is an absolute freak. In the middle
they have a beast in Cordarrow Thompson who can shut down the middle by
himself.
The Hokies
lost their running back Darren Evans in the offseason to a torn ACL. Admittedly
this was a big loss but I think replaceable. He was a downhill runner without
much flash. They now turn to a redshirt-freshman in Ryan Williams who has
looked dominant and elusive this spring. He was a top 25 in the country recruit
who will get a large share of the carries. The rest will fall on true freshman
David Wilson who will look to bruise like Evans. Not much experience is a
problem here for the Hokies. Now the catalyst for the offense is obviously
Tyrod. He is a freak athletically and from all accounts, very accurate in the
passing game this spring. He is short so he needs to use his legs to find gaps
in the defense, especially with big Sarge Cody in the middle for Bama. The
Hokies wont be running up the middle, but I don’t think they will be trying to
anyway. They return all of their wide receivers from last season including Greg
Boone at TE who is going to be a big playmaker this season. Boone is a former
high school QB who made the switch to TE shortly after arriving at school. He
struggled catching the ball early on but has fine hands now and makes
coordinators miserable when they have to cover him with a linebacker. Tyrod
will be looking to the big fella early and often. If they have any success
running the ball, the play action will be extremely effective….
I’m going to release the Alabama
write-up next, followed by an overall summary and pick
Pretty excited to get this season started. Should be fresh for this season as I have stopped wagering in all other sports. Just a few things I've seen from the offseason about my Hokies...
Tyrod is the real deal. He is improving his accuracy daily and building up the strength in his ankles has been the key task for him. Contributing to his health will be the quality and depth he has at running back this season and the continued development of his receivers. He said he plans on leaving the pocket no more than 10 times this season. I dont necessarily think that would be a positive thing for the Hokies, but I wouldnt mind it in games when he doesnt need to. The offensive live should be solid with Render returning as the best guard in the nation. They have enough redneck big fellas to control the field.
On the opposite side of the field I think this defense will be better than last years. I think the additions outweigh the subtractions with the only real loss being Macho. He will be missed but we have added ridiculous speed to our linebacker corps and just wait and see how good Jason Worilds will be at DE this year. He will be a first round pick by the end of the season. Kam Chancellor may be the best athlete on the team playing the rover position which is an extremely important position in the Foster defensive scheme.
I really like the Hokies to make a statement in the opener. I would not trust a QB making his first career start against this defense no matter how much time he has to prepare. If Tyrod can hit the open outlet they should cause fits. The running game will be able to dominate most teams but I doubt they put much of a dent in Bama's D-Line. With that being said, the play action should be open and with T-Mobile's running threat they have to respect there is really no reason they cant take advantage of it. I'll have much more to say about this one as the day approaches but just some preliminary thoughts to chat about. Good luck this upcoming season guys
It seems to obvious. It really does. The Colts cant stop the run, the Titans pound the ball on the ground. They use 2 running backs so neither of them will get worn down.
Kerry Collins is getting no respect and if I had to throw to those receivers I wouldnt expect much either. They know how to get it done though. Crumpler and Scaife on the play action which is obviously effective because Tennessee is so good at running the ball.
The Colts in the last 2 years have struggled playing Jeff Fisher even when they were the superior team, this team they arent even the superior team. Peyton Manning coming off one of the worst games I can remember. Joseph Addai and Bob Sanders out.
If you think Dominic Rhodes can run on Albert Haynesworth you are kidding yourself. Manning as usual will have to pick apart a defense. This Titans defensive backfield is full of ballhawkers though. Cortland Finnegan is class. Need not everyone forget Tennessee has Mr. Monday Night himself, Keith Bulluck.
The Titans fans should be crazy tonight and I dont think there is a more devastating combo than loud fans and a sick defense. Peyton Manning
Titans-20
Colts-10
Titans -4