Vpi !
Vpi !
I agree...the only thing we are going to learn at the NCCU game is which true freshmen are going to play. Hopefully that is the only thing we learn because anything else will be bad news. You just can't learn anything good about your team in a game against an over matched FCS opponent.
During Week 2 and 3, we will learn a lot.
Bob Green
Video clip interview with linebacker Joe Giles-Harris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLLx...ure=youtu.be&a
Video clip interview with wide receiver Johnathan Lloyd:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRSmeyjSde4
Bob Green
And another excellent article on the front page by Bob, this one on the O-line.
I thought you were making some kind of inside anti-Virginia Tech reference ... kind of like how State people often refer to the Cheats as UNCCH -- a disparaging reference that dates back to the early 1960s, when the legislature consolidated the university system and tried to change NC State College to UNC at Raleigh. State had enough clout to avoid that, and they fought back by demanding that UNC be referred to like all the other branches of the system (UNCP for UNC Pembroke, UNCC for UNC Charlotte, UNCG for UNC Greensboro, etc.).
The furor that the naming debate raised is kind of lost in the mists of time ... except for the occasional reference to UNCCH.
I thought your use of VTI was in that vein. The school in Blacksburg has had some naming issues. The full name of the school is almost never used and the familiar acronym VPI is even frowned upon.
I know that the original Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College officially became the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1896. Although the school was called Virginia Polytechnic Institute for most of the 20th century, it didn't become the official name until 1944. In 1970, the name was changed again -- to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
When Virginia Tech joined the ACC, the school sent out a memo to sports writers that the school preferred the term Virginia Tech and that the VPI acronym was not to be used. Not long after that, the basketball team played in throwback uniforms with VPI across the chest.
I did get an e-mail scolding me for using VPI in a story. At first, I was inclined to honor their wishes, but after Thad Lewis was systematically (and deliberately) assaulted in 2006, I decided I didn't give a fudge for their preference and I use VPI all the time. Some of Seth Greenberg's thuggery reinforced that point of view.
You know, thinking about it, VTI is not a bad way to disparage a thuggish school. I know the coaching regime has change in basketball and I like Buzz Williams a lot more than Seth. Fuentes has replaced Beamer in football, but defensive coordinator Bud Foster -- who planned the assault on Lewis -- remains, so I still retain my distain for the Hokies. At least as long as Foster is there.
So I think that I'll use VTI as an acronym for the Football Thugs ... basketball, I'll use VPI.
Thanks for the suggestion.
We're in agreement here except for the fact that obviously this is the first game and everything that entails...smoke as the players enter the field, (probably) post game fireworks, both fans and the team are totally amped, and we may see some future stars give us a glimpse of what they're capable of. I'd be lying if I said I'm not going to miss all that!
I concur. Assuming we're up by a good bit, I'd love to see the coaching staff give our kicker(s) multiple chances in this game to get some in game experience. Let's be honest, nothing can really replace that.
All that said, I'm ready for some Duke football!
Hydration? Gatorade is good for you.
Stephen Wiseman @stevewisemanNC 47m47 minutes ago
Mild injury concern at Duke practice: Cutcliffe said WR Scott Bracey slowed by leg muscle strain. He missed last year with hamstring injury
Bob Green
True freshman center Will Taylor is out for the season with a knee injury:
Stephen Wiseman @stevewisemanNC 38m38 minutes ago
More serious Duke injury news: Freshman center Will Taylor had knee surgery and is out for season. Was a redshirt candidate anyway.
Bob Green
"Too soon to know. Happened late in practice. Team is off Monday. Cut mildly frustrated with guys not doing necessary year round work"
Surprised a 4-8 squad would cause frustration for not putting forth the off season work. I trust Cut will sort this out.
In full pads, injuries will happen. So far, no reported metatarsal issues. Go Duke.
From the N&O this AM:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/
First sentence sums it up well:
"The competition for a new Duke Blue Devils football starting kicker is fierce."
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Here's Cut on last year's kicking game:
"Acid reflux?" That sums up my reaction to last year's kicking.“If a guy drops his head, if a guy stumps his toe, I’m looking at everything we’ve got,” Cutcliffe said. “Because I will have a hard time living the way I lived last year. I occasionally had acid reflux and I don’t want it worse.”
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013