Mailbag 6/23

What's the most exciting football game you've ever watched?

I've watched some exciting games, but none will quite match the game against uga this season. It was the first real game I had ever been to at Sanford Stadium which, say what you want to, but that is a beautiful stadium. I was fortunate enough to be around some non-obnoxious georgia fans, including this one old guy who I talked to most of the game. I remember from about the time Justin Thomas fumbled on the pump fake, I was thinking well crap, they're gonna blow this and then georgia scored and it looked like they were gonna pull it off.

But then uga squib kicked it with about 18 seconds left on the clock, which was just enough time for Tech to get one Justin Thomas run out of bounds before Harrison Butker hit a 53.5 yard field goal on a 53-yard attempt. I remember telling that old guy next to me that from 30-39 yards out, Butker couldn't hit the broadside of a barn; anything else, though, he'd nail it. I couldn't explain it then and still can't.

That roller coaster of emotions only continued into overtime when Tech had their extra point blocked and it looked like uga was going to drive those 25 yards to win the game in the most annoying way possible. But then DJ White DJ White'd and Tech won the game. I went crazy, and keep in mind that I was perfectly sober during this too, so I knew I was acting a fool. And I was proud of it, too.

In light of the depth chart being released earlier this week, which upcoming player do you think has the biggest shoes to fill for their respective number?

I'm guessing you're talking about the updated roster, not the depth chart. As for your question, I think the guy that has the biggest shoes to fill is poor Zach Allen who was graced with No. 21. I had to look him up too, don't worry. He's not the only guy being graced by the number, however.

Joining him with wearing No. 21 is Quaide Weimerskirch. There have been some very talented players to wear 21 recently (Calvin Johnson, Jon Dwyer, Charles Perkins), but I feel like they were all good in different ways. I expect the same to be true of Weimerskirch. He'll probably be closer to Dwyer than the other two, but he's definitely not the same kind of back that Dwyer was, nor is anyone asking him to be.

A couple other numbers that stood out to me were Ike Willis switching to Dennis Andrews' old No. 3. I actually think that's very fitting for him. Qua Searcy switching to No. 1 also really intrigues me, as does Patrick Skov wearing No. 7. The only thing I'm slightly disappointed in, though, is that Jabari Hunt-Days will be sticking with No. 32. There were some rumblings earlier in the offseason that he was trying to move down into the single digits.

Which team do we match up best against in 2015?

I'm actually going to say Notre Dame. Brian Kelly has never been truly successful against the option, and with Brian VanGorder as his defensive coordinator, I don't see that changing this season, even with some inexperience on offense.

I also foresee our defense being opportunistic again this season, which spells trouble for a sometimes careless Notre Dame offense.

Which team matches up the best against us in 2015?

Gotta go with Virginia Tech here. Say what you want, but Bud Foster always brings his "A" game against us, and it looks to be another great match-up this season. They may not have a whole lot on offense, but they didn't really have much there last season either, and that was still a pretty close game.

Jordan Spieth, can I have your baby? Please!

You're gonna have to take that up with him.

What is the most rec’d article on FTRS? What is the most rec’d comment?

Unfortunately I did not have enough time to thoroughly go through all FTRS articles in existence to accurately answer this question, but I will venture a guess. For the most rec'd article of all time, I'm going to go with this one. I'm certain that's wrong, though, since it only has one rec, but it is far and away one of my favorite articles of all time from Joey and FTRS. Well done!

For the most rec'd comment, I'd have to guess that it came from a post-game thread following an intense win, perhaps over Miami, uga or Mississippi State.

In an ealier post someone mentioned some of our players not being a good fit for Ted Roof’s scheme. I feel like me know a lot more about the intricacies of the offense but could you go into detail about our defensive scheme, personnel, and what we are trying to do on defense?

You know, that sounds like a great idea. I definitely would have picked this to do as my one question to make into a full article had I not already written this exact same thing last year.

Lucky for you, you can check that out right here.

Smoov in the NFL? Did Justin Thomas hurt his chances at being drafted into the NFL by coming to Tech to play QB instead of going somewhere else to play DB? I love watching the kid play and I’m glad he came to Tech, but I would hate to think that he gave up millions of dollars just to play QB for a few years on the Flats. I guess my main misgiving is that I don’t see him as a pro-style QB. Is there any chance he could still play DB at the next level?

With the success of Russell Wilson at the NFL level, it is certainly not impossible for a team to give Thomas a shot at quarterback. A few things would need to happen, though. He would need to get a lot bigger, maybe 215-220, while maintaining his speed. It would also be helpful for him to improve his skills as a passer. He's a solid passer with a good arm, but he's still got a long way to go before he can be an NFL quarterback. Finally, he's got to get a team to fall in love with him.

Personally, I see Thomas making the transition to wide receiver/return specialist/offensive weapon after college. With his speed and dynamic playmaking ability, that would definitely be his best fit in the NFL. He's a guy that is more than willing to do anything to help his team win.

UVA vs Vandy – what’s your pick?

I'm sticking with UVA for the same reason I did last week. That's because they wiped the floor with Tech in the ACC tournament and it will make them look better in the long run.

Thanks for the questions! And for those wondering, the question I'll be writing an article about was actually emailed to me, so you'll get to see the question when I put out the article.