Letters… we get letters… we get stacks and stacks of letters… Question from Ofermod: I saw that article about how Jerry Kill has a friggen sweet serape from his time at NMSU. What’s it gonna take to get him in something Commodore-related (hat? Long jacket with way too many buttons? Wooden sailing vessel with working […]
Letters… we get letters… we get stacks and stacks of letters…
Question from Ofermod:
I saw that article about how Jerry Kill has a friggen sweet serape from his time at NMSU. What’s it gonna take to get him in something Commodore-related (hat? Long jacket with way too many buttons? Wooden sailing vessel with working cannons)? And how awesome could it be made?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Gotta get him rocking the Vandy Pimp outfit from SEC Shorts, right? Or cowboy boots and jean shorts if we want to go “local culture.”
Andrew VU ‘04: Yeah, this man is like if Jerry Garcia was the Yoda of all things feetball knowledge, and I love it. It cannot be overstated how much he means for our program, or how much Joan Rivers’ corpse should be losing her absolute shit as he red carpets it into every stadium.
”Oh! Oh! Jerry, you beautiful beast, what are you wearing? Oh you walking Taos couch! You green chile smothered savant!“
You want him to… change literally any of that??? No…
Question from Nova_Dore:
According to ESPN, Vandy has a higher probability to make the CFP than those Buttchuggers to the East. Comments?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: This sounds like those preseason national championships THEY declare in July and August. Let’s see the games play out. Probably getting a bump because SC was overrated.
Andrew VU ‘04: What’s the probability? Feels like 98…
Question from WestEndMayhem:
Tackling in the open field- what’s up with that?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: The defense has allowed 3, 20, 7, and 21 points. Georgia State averaged 4.3 yards per play against mostly 2nd and 3rd string players. Unless it happens in a close game, I think we have seen a lot more good than bad from the defense, including the tackling.
Andrew VU ‘04: What’s up with that?
I’m sorry, Lindsey Buckingham and your open-field tackling question, we weren’t able to get to you this week.
Question from jessecuster44:
Utah State’s O looks fast as heck.
Will the D be ready for the Aggies’ celerity, or is this gonna be one of those trap games where we wonder what the hell happened?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: It is the first offense Vanderbilt will face where they have played well so far this season. It could be an issue. The Aggies scored 22 on Texas A&M. It could be a trap game after Revenge of the Commodores and going to Alabama. The key is limiting explosives to allow the talent and power gap to eventually win out. I think this team is focused on “the mission” and keeps on task.
Andrew VU ‘04: “Celerity,” you say? See, I usually think of that word not really in terms of athletic speed, but mental processing speed, and that edge has to go to the Gridiron Dore offense. With Mormon Aggie Athletic Speed, we’ll certainly have to take into account in practice this week. Also, speed’s not exactly something I worry about with our team. It’s more the size-strength-speed monsters that only seem to exist in states like Georgia and Louisiana that worry me—not because we’re deficient (in fact, we’re better in this respect than we’ve ever been), but because I don’t know if you saw what Jordan Davis did to the Rams at the end of the game last week, but that’s superhuman shit that just should not exist on our plane of reality. A nose tackle approaching 20 mph on the last play of the game as he runs a blocked kick the distance to the end zone??? How is this possible??? In short, Utah State won’t have any of those freaks, and our defense has to practice against the crazy motion and speed of the Kill/Beck/Pavia offense every week. Hell, we’ve got walk-on RB burners now who could be on an SEC track championship sprinting relay team. If we’re not ready for Mormon Aggie speed, consider me shocked. No, it’s apparently vocab day. Consider me “stupefied,” nay, “utterly aghast,” nay “thunderstruck.”
Question from ask_thedoctor:
I see some folks here are getting too big for their britches. I‘m excited beyond measure at how good the team looks, but there’s a lot of football left to be played before we start talking about championships and such.
1) Despite hanging three score and ten on the Sex Panthers, we were 0-2 on 4th Down, including one deep in our own territory that led to an opposing TD. In the postgame press conference, HCCL mentioned that he planned to go for every 4th and 1. Do you think this continues into SEC Play?
2) The defense gave up the most points they have all season, after giving up 3, 10, and 7 (all great, of course). What, if anything, concerns you about our defense that you think opposing SEC teams can exploit?
3) What did you think of the backup QB’s performances?
4) Favorite play from last night?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Vanderbilt is 3/5 on 4th down in 4 games. I think that aggression is here to stay. The bomb TD to Junior Sherrill against Alabama last year was on 4th down. They may not go for literally every 4th and 1, but they may go for every one between the 40s. Other situations likes depends on score and how short the “1” is.
Georgia State had 12 drives. Allowing less than 2 points per opponent’s drive will be a winning formula. They gave up that many points while rotating deep into the bench as early as the 2nd drive. The pass rush and coverage are still the weak points. They have faced some very inconsistent passers so far this season. There has been growth there for sure, but the extent is still unknown.
I was fine with all 3 of the backups. They all graded out to 90+ on ESPN’s Total QBR, which is essentially a percentile rating. Being in the 90+ percentile is good, obviously. Blaze is still a bit inconsistent, but he flashed some speed on the 43-yard run. Dickey’s sideline throw to Tristen Brown was one of the best throws I have seen any Vanderbilt QB make. I would still prefer not to see any of them for extended time in a close game.
That Dickey throw. Or maybe his TD. It was just sweet seeing him get the reward for sticking around through sooooo much.
Andrew VU ‘04: You leave my britches out of it. Sure, have I perhaps been eating too much and exercising too little? Absolutely. But though my belt loop might be one more notch, these britches still fit, damn it! I’d thank you to stay out of my personal life, and that extends to my britches.
I will answer the back-up QB performance question, though. Obviously none of them are Diego, but I thought the fact that the 3rd string guy (Lil’ Dickey) was able to have some success—dropping one in the bucket and running for a score—just highlights the depth that this team has. Depth that quite literally no Vanderbilt team, even in the Brigadoon Old Bald Poach Jimmy Franks era, has had. We’ve got a real shot to be built for the grind of the SEC season, and this is a very good thing, even if we have to pray like hell that Diego is fully encased in bubble wrap and takes no more than a minor paper cut’s worth of damage all season.
Question from VU1970:
Who will Vandy play in the SEC championship game? Is there a mascot portal? Wouldn’t the San Diego Chicken look great in black and gold?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Georgia.
Not that I know of, but they did awful things to Mr. C that looked like Waluigi.
Andrew VU ‘04: I have no earthly idea who will play in the SEC Championship game, and this is the first time in my adult life that that has been the case. Enjoy it. Anyone but Kentucky, The Jorts, Arky, and possibly The Game Penises still have to think they have a shot.
To my knowledge, there is no mascot portal, but only because the mascot is less the person inside it and more the expensive costume that smells like hell that is owned by the schools. Oh, and with Vanderbilt’s current commitment to the NIL Money Cannon (side note: I know this is a feetball mail bag, and we’re in the midst of a really interesting feetball season, but I’m pretty shocked Tom hasn’t at least thrown up an article or two about the absolute monster shooty hoops recruiting class Byington is putting together in Memorial Gym, and how all the other coaches are whining that their McDonald’s bags full of cash cannot compete with our Knights who say NIL), why stop at the San Diego Chicken? I’m flying over to the Galapagos and throwing a bag at The Phillie Phanatic!
Question from VUOffspring:
Who is the one SEC loss coming from against this Vanderbilt team?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Alabama.
Andrew VU ‘04: I don’t understand the question. Why concede a loss at this point? Or are you being optimistic and saying there will only be one, Highlander-style? Also, do Big XII teams like The Tejas Long Fedoras or Missourah (spits) count? Do we even play Sewanee???
All I’ll say is we’ve already broken The Chicken Curse and it sure as shit won’t be Kentucky.
Question from ConquerAndPrevail:
How scared were the ESPNU announcers to reveal just who was the victim of Vandy’s last seventyburger?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: They weren’t. None of THEM can afford ESPNU.
Andrew VU ‘04: Nothing sucks like a big orange.
Question from Jersey Dore:
What hotel should I book in Miami for the nights of January 18 and 19? I want luxury but no ostentation.
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Whichever one the Pavias stay at.
Andrew VU ‘04: The one from the Big Willy Style video, but the Tony Montana Suite. Get that Fresh Prince all gakked up to slap the bejesus out of our figurative Chris Rocks (our opponents). Bienvenidos a Miami.
Wait… no… where does Don Johnson stay? Should we make sure to get on Dexter’s good side?
Question from Mauberly:
What will it take for Clemson to cut bait and fire Dabo?
70 points on offense notwithstanding the defense wasn’t particularly tight. Is this a problem for SEC play and what are the corrections?
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: Losing to Chapel Bill might do it.
I haven’t watched the Georgia State game back yet, but we have 4 weeks of data with one game against an SEC team. Georgia State went 3 and out on 4 of 12 drives. They also had a 4 and out due to a defensive penalty on the first play of the drive. Only 5 drives even gained 15+ yards. No concerns yet.
Andrew VU ‘04: I think Clemson is already done with Dabo, but will let him ride out the regular season out of respect. You know, not what Okie State just did to the man who is no longer 40.
I’m not all that concerned with our D’s performance against Ugga State, as they do have a legitimate NFL prospect at WR, and were just throwing shit at the wall seeing what would stick. I don’t think we’ll have a D capable of dominating non-Penis-based or Mashburn-Jersey-Wearing SEC offenses, but we should be good enough where it’s not a liability. Other than LSU, Georgia, and maybe Florida (more could be than have been), I don’t really see dominant defenses in the conference this year. In fact, the OK Boomers might have the third best, and that is not a sentence that feels right typing in the last 15-20 years. We’re at least a mid-pack SEC defense, and that ought to give our offense enough of a chance to win in each game.
Question from VandyTigerPhD:
Everyone has already hit you with the typical “where does this team go” type questions and my usual pessimism looks forward to those…
But here, catch! You now have the cursed monkey’s paw with but one wish remaining. You can change one thing about this team, but your favorite NFL team will be forever cursed in the opposite way. CHOOSE WISELY.
Answers from AoG:
PatrickSawyer: I don’t care about the NFL much except for very casually rooting for the Bengals since my dad is from Cincy. But Bruce Pearl did just step down at Auburn, so that’s already my punishment. I’d sacrifice every other team I root for going into mediocrity or worse for a Vanderbilt football national championship.
Andrew VU ‘04: I’ll go ahead and not overthink it. I’ll just scream, “Beat the hell out of Tennessee!” and laugh maniacally as the final monkey finger curls into a fist. Seeing as the Eagles don’t play the Titans, the only possible way this could come back on me is if that objectively horrible Titan team somehow finds a way into the playoffs and gets to the Superb Owl. If that happens, and they kick the crap out of the Eagles, that will be more hilarious than sad, as the only way this could come to be is with a near infinite supply of Zombie Frank Wycheck forward laterals that are neither called by the refs nor overturned by replay happening every single week, perhaps on every single possession. Yeah. Destroy those mullet-luging, Bacon and Donut be-costumed Buttchuggers. Damn the consequences. Now, if Zombie Frank Wycheck eats the brain of, say, Nick Sirianni, I may come to regret this. No. No. Even that would be acceptable.
Category: General Sports
