Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which, now that I look at a clock, certainly isn’t “way premature.” An abbreviated week and a short list of posts in this numbing time of year. I feel like the basketball freshmen are already sophomores. The Fab Five thinks they’ve gotten a lot of ink. And did you know Geno Smith is working hard? Oh, well. What’s a sportswriter to do?

We’ll bow our backs and do what we do, though we won’t be long today. (Late edit: I lied. Good job by you this week!) I went with some interactive posts this week, which then takes more work out of my hands.

I know there are many people who are new to here in the past month, but I assure you it’s not always like this. The weeks generally have 12-15 posts and the F Double is usually voluminous and humorous. It’s the Pat’s meow, as far as we’re concerned.

That said, I hope everyone understands this is the time of year I try to step away so that I’m not jumping off the roof of Lawrinson Hall in October. Do I say that because I’m away next weekend and might have another blank space? You don’t know that! Do I still have more vacation time I have to use? You think about that. And is there something else up my sleeve? Stay tuned.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, sometimes it’s best to do it on your own.

KMS said:

When the whole Stewart meltdown happened last month, my motherly instincts directed my thoughts to one person in particular…Blaine Stewart. I turned to twitterverse in hopes that my fears of him being harrassed in the midst of his father’s public fall from grace would be unfounded. Luckily, it seemed that most of mountaineer nation was supporting him and offering words of encouragement. He had specifically mentioned Bruce in a tweet thanking him for an, apparently very kind message that had been sent his way. That gave me instant gratification that not only is Bruce something that legends are made of, but also apparently a man of very good character.

[Ed: ” … apparently a man of 140 very good characters.]

rekterx said:

With as much raw talent as the guy actually has, he is coming off more and more as being extremely level headed and even humble.

No wonder Kirlav loves the guy!

I think the Bruce Irvin story is just beginning to be told.

What stands out most to me about the relationship between Irvin and Kirelawich is this: Kirlav likes to be around Bruce. I don’t mean this in the way it’s going to come out, but hear me out: The way Kirlav coaches, you’d get the idea he didn’t want to be around (m)any of his guys. That’s not the reality, but it’s the perception he creates and allows to exist and, by and large, it’s meaningful, old school motivation. The guys want to be liked by and be in the company of Kirelawich, so long as they have what it takes. Irvin is already like Scooter Berry or Chris Neild and Keilen Dykes and a list of others, guys who were around for a while before he got that treatment from Kirlav. And this didn’t make my story on Irvin, be here’s how he explained why he and his coach hit it off so fast: “I think I’ve got ADD, but just haven’t been checked for it yet. But I can’t sit still for a long time, can’t stay in one place and get yelled at.” Ah-ha!

oklahoma mountaineer said:

His reaction lets you know where this guy has been, but where he is now. Really mature to see what he is, but what he believes he can become. Compare this to Robert Sands and Johnny Dingle and you see a real difference — realistic assessment of what his talents are and, probably more importantly, a person who listens to and respects the counsel of those around him.

I’m thinking he will be glad he stayed, particularly in light of the NFL lockout.

This is a guy who reads newspapers and blogs and message boards and has a very clear idea what the public and the experts think of him. (Aside: The day Mr. Irvin comments here is the day we reach a whole new level.) And this is a guy who outwardly talks about what the public and the experts think of him. Yet this is a guy who, thus far, has done all the right things. It’s a pretty remarkable mix and that’s before you factor in his background. A lot of people like him wouldn’t have played it this way, wouldn’t have held it together this way.

lowercase jeff said:

dingle – yes.

sands – not so sure. before the combine he was a solid second rounder.

Dingle. Yes. Sands. No he wasn’t. The book on him was written before the combine. It was published soon thereafter.

Dave said:

It will be interesting to see how the NCAA handles the current UNC, OSU and Oregon situations given how they hammered USC years-after-the-fact and did nothing with Auburn.

Re: Auburn. How is “the kid didn’t know what the father was trying sell” different than “we’re going to punish the program years after Bush incident even though none of the current kids paying that penalty were in the program at the time and the coach is gone”?

UNC, OSU and Oregon are all unique from one another and seem to set a precedent for the future — UNC has the social media, OSU has kind of a retroactive/reactive oversight element, to say nothing of the when-did-he-know element, Oregon cracks open the street agent can of worms and pours it into a bowl of recruiting service nonsense. Said it before, but the NCAA has a problem keeping up with the evolution of infractions. It’d help to be swift and certain in its responses here. You know other schools are up to the same things and will soon be found guilty of something suspicious. As for Auburn, I’m not sure the NCAA is done there. The NCAA has a statute of limitations and, as such, plenty of time to get after the Tigers if the Tigers are deserving.

Jeff in Akron said:

But, the NCAA is fair and just, don’t confuse them with the facts.

Fact: The NCAA wants you … or someone else. Actively looking for enforcement in football. I love the requirements:1d and 2a.

lowercase jeff said:

keith tandy is also being lauded in publications all across the country

was just named 53rd best player in the nation by rivals.com

this makes me very very nervous

I have no idea what to expect from Tandy, who I really like and who I think is a really solid technical player, but I don’t think he’s quite the liability he once was. I do think he’s going to miss Brandon Hogan a lot, but, given the options, aren’t teams going to target the other corner, whoever it is? At the least, he’s in a good spot.

Jeff in Akron said:

If Holgorsen’s offense takes off, our defense is exactly what we need to stop teams from passing the ball all over the field. If the offense struggles and a game turns into a defensive battle, I am concerned that the defense may become exposed to a power running team. Particularly in the fourth quarter of games.

To me, I think the defense will be among the fastest that has ever played in Morgantown. With that speed, you give up some smash mouth ability. Teams like Syracuse and Louisville could pose real problems. Then there is Pitt and UConn, both have oversized o-lines. With Edsall at Maryland, we can expect to see an early form of his power running attack. LSU has been known to run the ball with authority too, remember Kragthorpe is their o-coordinator now.

Without a high powered offense to force teams to try and keep up on the score board, the defense could be in for a long season. If an untimely injury or two happens along the d-line all bets are off, depth is a major concern.

Basically, with the exception of last year, it’s business as usual in Morgantown. I honestly cannot remember a time when WVU was fully stocked along the defensive line. I know there was a time, I just don’t remember it.

/Ctrl A, Ctrl C
//Opens email
///To: Jack Bogaczyk
////Subject: Season preview
/////Ctrl V, send

oklahoma mountaineer said:

I just hope that recruiting of players under DH does not take on the character that the Product had during his run here and during his role as the Prince of Ann Arbor. You can’t hope to have top flight defense when you spend a great deal of effort in converting offensive guys to defense and hoping to make it work.

I know that there has been success doing it in the back end; however, the biggest difference between the “great” teams and the overachieving teams is the defensive, specifically the line.

I think that was obvious when we played against LSU last year and Auburn the two years before that. Defensive line, in terms of talent and depth, is what separates the SEC from the other conferences.

We have been luck that Casteel has been able to use smoke and mirrors on defense and that Kirlav is an awesome teacher. How you consistently make formidable players out of guys who gain 50 pounds from arrival date on campus is a miracle.

I hear you and I agree with you. Apart from the defensive line, what separates the haves from the have nots are Nos. 12-22 on the depth chart. That said, I think we can all agree WVU is headed, in some manner, back to the old way. With the old way, you got at least a share of the Big East four times, won two BCS games and nearly played for the national championship. At the worst, you’re far more qualified now to bring in some kids you maybe couldn’t bring in before.

Bill said:

Imagine that – head coaches are out there lying to recruits! I just don’t see this happening. Yeah they are in a major market with a nice stadium, but that’s all they have going for them. Heck, even Rutgers has been trying to turn the corner for 200 years and how has that worked for them? Adazzio isn’t all that great from what I’ve heard, and even if he is….do you think he will last long at Temple?

Puh-leeze.

All they have going for them? That’s two of the top criteria the Big East desires. Hell, the stadium is what’s killing Villanova’s chances. As for Addazio, yes, there are whispers out there about him, but I highly doubt a program like Temple — or most non-AQ programs, or even some of the AQ teams — are hiring with the goal of getting a long-term name. Reality is, if Addazio hits and then runs, Temple is better off because of it and, for the purpose of a relevant theory, more attractive for a BCS invite.

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Are Dana and company telling their recruits that WVU will be in the ACC soon?

Good question.

SheikYbuti said:

Artist: We are NOT telling them that. We want to retain our recruits.

Great answer.

hershy112 said:

I hope for the sake of the Big East that the coaches are flat out lying.  I’m going to need more than one good year to be convinced Temple has changed.

Well, I’m going to guess this won’t make you feel better.

Karl said:

If Temple doesn’t have some kind of serious, off the record understanding with the Big East on this, and their football staff is out conning kids into spending their future at a dead end MAC program, that’s disgusting. If the denials start coming and this is exposed to be a fraud, Addazio’s credit will be ruined with the high school coaches and players who trusted him and he’s in for a big fall.

Agreed, but this is a candidate for the sneaky good story of the summer. Wait, here come the denials …

ffejboc said:

If there’s any truth to this at all, it would have to be a football-only invite with Owl basketball remaining in the A-10. Right?!?!

Maybe, because I can’t see how you can treat TCU and Temple the same after you kicked Temple out years back. But suppose this split happens in a few years — a popular opinion — and the basketball-only schools depart. They can team up with some of the basketball schools in the A-10, ie Xavier, Dayton, Duquesne, etc. The A-10 is large enough it could lose a few and add a few and survive. Temple wouldn’t be an awful football/basketball fit in a reconstituted football/basketball Big East.

wvu304 said:

I see Urban’s stats list his position as IR.
Isn’t that Josh Jenkins’ position?

Aw, man.

SheikYbuti said:

Nope, Brad Starks has that position staked out all to himself.

Getting close, yes?

notruB said:

Wes Lyons thinks Urban’s spring performance could be overrated.

Nathan Forse would like to speak with you!

Bill said:

Speaking of Lyons, anyone else surprised that the steelers are wasting their time even just sniffing him out? He was a total waste and literally has legs about as thick as my pinky finger. Not sure his lanky frame would last even on an NFL practice roster.

Ah, but who would benefit more from the lockout and the urge to let oneself go than Lyons? He needs some pounds.

SheikYbuti said:

I’m jealous of Bill’s fingers and his resultant popularity with the ladies.

Moving on.

Drew said:

It amazes me how many people believe Stew got a raw deal and that he never did anything wrong (primarily, it seems, because he’s “one of us”). These same people hate Holgorsen because they say he’s an outsider and an alleged drunk.

I had hoped the rift in our fanbase would begin to go away with a new coach, but that doesn’t appear to have even started to happen.

I was surprised by the relative evenness of the vote.

Sam said:

Is it true his contract doesn’t contain a morals clause pursuant to bad behavior?

False. Standard in all of WVU’s coaching contracts.

SheikYbuti said:

There’s probably a subtle difference between being an “alleged partier” and being an “alleged drunk.” Lindsay Lohan, for example, seems to be in imminent danger of crossing that line (defined, in my mind, by Dennis Hopper’s character in “Hoosiers”), but not many of even Stew’s most vociferous proponents would say ORB has. We probably wouldn’t tolerate a drunk (especially one without a proven record of success at the highest level), but as far as partiers go, our attitude is more akin to: “Let he who is without dead brain cells cast the first shot glass!”

Alleged anything is a dangerous thing to accuse and to be accused of being, though I get your point. Unfortunately for him, Holgorsen took away some of the suspense in the Cross Lanes casino, but I had and still have a problem with people writing “He had a reputation as a partier before he was hired.” Really? Because I never read that anywhere. Had I heard it? It was suggested, to say the least, but in no way that would make me write it. It wasn’t the same, for example, as Stewart’s VMI exit being revisited upon his hiring at WVU. It’s disingenuous to report speculation as fact after the fact. And because this has been allowed to happen, people have taken off with that. Now he’s the coach who got in trouble in Cross Lanes and had a reputation as a partier before that.

Karl said:

It’s a stupid poll. I voted “uh-oh” not because I dislike him or anything like that. My feeling is any time you hire a new coach — especially one who has no head coaching experience — you really have no idea what you’re going to get. He’s been a phenom as an offensive coordinator, but every year in CFB there’s a body count of star coordinators who failed on their own. It’s a different skill set. So if the choices are “Yes!” or “Uh-Oh” about a guy with no no track record as a head coach, I guess the latter is closer to my feeling, even though I am excited to have him.

Agreed, but this is where I go against the grain: Is the value/beauty of the poll not found in the interpretation of the question? You could answer the poll as you have just as reasonably as someone who has questions about his character.

rekterx said:

Look .. when I say its summertime I mean the following. Once the wins start rolling in and Holgorsen keeps his nose clean (assuming both of those things happen) the rift in our fan base will begin to disappear.

Hello!?!?!

We are talking about West Virginians here folks. That means that half of us, half of the time, are waiting for the other shoe to drop. And this is without a front burner story like the football soap opera we have had in recent days. If it wasn’t Stew/Holgs it would be something else that half of the people would be paranoid about.

Show me another state that has a watchdog interest named Sustained Outrage.
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/watchdog/
I am not say that there aren’t issues to be concerned about. My only point is that the name plays well with the paranoid nature of many West Virginians.

Let the wins and the national rankings come and people will suddenly start liking Dana Holgorsen. If the wins don’t come then that little survey won’t matter anyway.

A survey like that just serves to create/perpetuate a story. Any reasonable person knows that enough time has not gone by to allow for a substantial opinion of Dana Holgorsen to be formed.

Its summertime. You gotta create a story if you ain’t got one.

(Nodding … not agreeing or disagreeing. Just nodding.)

Lee in Dayton said:

I wanted “all of the above.”

For real, what poll doesn’t have that option?  A) This one B) More than this one

pknocker40 said:

I’ve been so focused on this blog that I was completely oblivious to that poll.

Almost!

JL said:

That’s not necessarily a bad thing

Enjoy the weekend!