Hokie Tracks are Following Eight Man Fronts

I hope this will become a semi-regular feature summarizing relevant Virginia Tech, ACC and college football news as it piles up. It will most certainly be a day late, and dollar short, but hopefully it will serve as discussion starter. If I missed anything feel free to email them to me or post links in the comments.

EDSBS dug up a handout of Bud Foster's Attack Defense from the 76th AFCA Convention in 1999. We no longer exclusively use true eight man fronts, and haven't for a long time, but it's still a very worthwhile read because many of the philosophies and theories such as the Whip / Rover positions, attacking style of play, and multiple coverages remain the same. Oh, and there are diagrams, so many pretty diagrams.

In 2010 we saw what is likely becoming the third iteration of Foster's defense. The first being what was documented at the AFCA in '99. The second version, the defense we've been running for around the last 8 years, where the speed and, well, spread of spread offenses pushed the Rover from outside linebacker back into the secondary as a full time, albeit with a nose in the backfield, safety. Last season because our Whips had trouble being a true hybrid player, excelling against the run and pass, we had to use Nickel and 3-3-5 looks with different personal packages. In 2011, look for us to use those same packages, but without changing personal. That's where we're headed; utilizing hybrid players in the same base personal to run multiple packages.

If you've been watching Tyrod's journey to play in the NFL on ESPN's "Three for the Show" then you probably got a little irritated and feisty when he learned that Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin wouldn't be able to participate as his receivers for his pro day. At least I did. When he found out that Coale and Boykin had remaining eligibility they intended to keep Andre's Tyrod's coach Roger Theder doubted they'd be able to participate, but was assured they could. So Theder developed a specific script of routes and plays for Tyrod and his two favorite receivers. I bet you know where this is going. The morning of pro day Tyrod was told Coale and Boykin couldn't participate. Rock Carmichael and other graduated defensive backs had to fill in. David Teel of the Daily Press got the explanation from Tech's associate athletic director for football operations John Ballein.

"I did not see the ESPN piece on Tyrod. However, we did have approval through our compliance office for Tyrod to throw to our underclassmen. I received written approval on January 31. I did not know there was an issue until an hour before the workout was to begin.

"I was told by a rep from a NFL team, that due to the lockout, the current members on our team could not participate. He said that it was not that big of an issue from their evaluation standpoint since Tyrod had been to the Shrine Game and the combine.

"I was also told, that if any of our former players who were currently on NFL rosters showed up (which they normally do), the NFL teams would not be permitted to speak with them, even if they were on their team."

But what the NFL team rep told Ballein isn't 100 percent accurate. NCAA and NFL rules have long barred players with eligibility remaining from pro days. The lockout is not germane.

"Since a pro day is essentially a tryout, players with remaining eligibility that wish to retain that eligibility without issue should not participate," said Michael Kelly, the ACC's associate commissioner for football.
NFL spokesman Joel Bussert concurred.

"I am not familiar with any of the circumstances of Tyrod Taylor's workout or of the ESPN telecast," he said. "But our general rule is that (players) not eligible for the draft cannot be used when NFL clubs are timing and testing a draft-eligible player."

Darryl Slater on Darren Evan's disappointing draft outcome.

"It seemed like there were about at least 20 different teams that were telling me the same thing. I was telling people that [he would get picked], because I actually believed it. And then it didn’t ever happen. That was kind of embarrassing. It almost seemed like I was making it up. I wasn’t, but that’s what it did seem like."