http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/previ...k&id=2564235&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer knew things had to change. The lasting images of the 2005 season for the Hokies should have been playing for the ACC championship for the second time in as many seasons and beating Louisville in the Gator Bowl. Instead, the indelible memories were former quarterback Marcus Vick stomping the leg of Cardinals defensive end Elvis Dumervil and other Hokies committing flagrant fouls. After spending nearly two decades building his alma mater into one of college football's best programs, Beamer saw his team unraveling and playing out of control. After winning their first eight games to climb into the national championship race, only to then lose to Miami 27-7 in Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies lost their cool down the stretch. They finished with an 11-2 record after losing to Florida State 27-22 in the ACC championship game, then winning the bowl game. "We had some unfortunate situations," Beamer said. "We had a terrific year. We went up to West Virginia and gave them their only loss. We had some terrific plays and terrific wins. I told every alumni group I spoke to that we try to make them proud by the number of games we win and how we conduct ourselves on the field and off the field. "We put so much into the year and some of our players played so hard and so well for so much of the year. It wasn't us. It's not the way we do it. There were some situations we had at the end of the year that weren't us." Vick, the younger brother of former Virginia Tech All-American and current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, couldn't behave on or off the field, so Beamer dismissed him from the team four days after the Hokies' 35-24 win over Louisville. Without Vick back for his senior season, the Hokies will start sophomore Sean Glennon, who redshirted last season, in Saturday's opener against Division I-AA Northeastern at Lane Stadium. Beamer took other measures in trying to get his team to clean up its act. Sophomore Brandon Ore, who will start at tailback this season, left the team and didn't enroll in classes during the winter semester. Virginia Tech said Ore was recovering from shoulder surgery at the time, but the coaching staff also wanted him to rehab his attitude. Ore worked at a 7-Eleven convenience store during his exile and gained some valuable perspective, Beamer said. "I think he's much more appreciative of where he is," Beamer said. "I think he's much more responsible. I think he has a much more realistic and serious outlook to life right now, on the field and off the field. I think he understands that he has a great opportunity here to be one of the best tailbacks Virginia Tech has had and an opportunity to get a degree from Virginia Tech." Beamer had meetings with other players, telling them they had to behave on the field or face stiff consequences. Former Hokies cornerback Jimmy Williams, who was ejected from the Gator Bowl in the first half for grabbing an official's arm, said he had little contact with the coaching staff after that game. Williams, a second-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in this year's NFL draft, had other behavior problems at Tech. Williams said he felt as if he had been ostracized by the coaches because they didn't want him around younger players. For the first time, Beamer also has devised a demerit system to address on-field penalties and off-field transgressions. Players will receive demerits for missing class, study hall, tutor sessions, team breakfasts, or if a teacher or tutor reports a player was disruptive in class or study hall. There are lesser demerits for being late to class or study hall, not having books in class or using cell phones or headphones in class. Punishment includes 6 a.m. running sessions, losing complimentary football tickets and suspensions. There also are monetary fines, taken from players' per diems for road games and a possible bowl game, for wearing improper equipment. Players will have to run 100 yards for each yard of fouls committed in a game, along with a $100 fine for each personal foul or flagrant infraction. "You had a team last year that had an 11-2 record and won a bowl game and the only thing people remembered were the bad things," safety Aaron Rouse said. "The players didn't get the rewards for a great season." Aaron Rouse returned to help restore the Hokies' image.Rouse wanted to help Beamer restore the Hokies' image and lay a foundation for younger players. At last month's ACC preseason news conferences in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Rouse and Virginia Tech offensive lineman Danny McGrath were the only players wearing shirt and ties. Rouse suggested the attire. "Be professional," Rouse told McGrath. "People are counting on you." "Coach Beamer had a big task at hand and I think he tackled it very well," Rouse said. "He really stressed that you're going to be accountable for your actions. I couldn't leave Virginia Tech with the things that happened with Marcus Vick and Jimmy Williams. I thought Virginia Tech needed a savior. I thought Virginia Tech needed someone to show the young guys how to do things the right way. I wanted to leave a legacy here and be a leader. It's something I'm proud of." _______________________________ Now I'm all for disciplining players, but I think that fining them any amount of money sets a horrible precedent. Sure, it's from their weekly allottment, but even putting aside the fact that they really aren't given much at all, these are guys that aren't allowed to have any outside income. That money is all they have outside of parents giving them gifts, and a lot of these kids aren't able to collect much from that route. I like Beamer as a coach, and the fact that Aaron Rouse stood behind his coach on this shows me that the leadership neccessary is in place, but I think bringing money into it all is not a good idea. Everything else in the article I agree with. * Also, I hope you all caught the creativity of that thread title. Lot of effort into that one.
