Letter From the Editor: The Big Guys in the Middle Dear Readers: Usually, when I sit down to plan an issue of the TSL Extra, I don't pick out a "theme" for the issue.
Sometimes, themes are unavoidable -- recruiting wrapup issues, for example -- but for the most part, I don't give them
much thought. This issue, though, concentrates on the big boys on the football team: the defensive tackles. Sure, the offensive
linemen are bigger on average (at least, they are on the Hokie football team), but the DT's are the ones who take a
beating down in the trenches. They're the run stoppers, the guys who sacrifice themselves to clog up the line of
scrimmage, and who do their job with little glory or reward. We catch up with a DT star from the past, J.C. Price. J.C. tells us the story of the rough treatment he got from the
NFL and how a bad back cut short a promising pro career. But cheer up, the story has a happy ending. We talk to an unheralded DT of the present, Dan Wilkinson, a quiet guy who exudes class and whose accomplishments in
the classroom will make you proud. And we take a look at the future of the defensive tackle position, because after this
season, the ranks of the defensive tackles thin out, to say the least, and question marks abound. Speaking of the future, we also embark on an analysis the purpose of which is to figure out what upcoming season will
present Tech's best chance to win a national championship. Let's just say that the answer will have you chomping at the
bit to fast-forward a couple of years. The remaining four articles in this rather large edition of the TSLX cover a variety of topics: concession operations
at Tech, the Hokies' special teams dominance, and the inspiring story of walk-on kicker Matt Felber, Virginia Tech's own
version of "Rudy." Lastly, don't miss the contest presented in "Inside TSL." It's a chance to win a snazzy leather attache/laptop
case, and it's our way of saying thanks to all of our subscribers for making the TSL Extra's first year a big success. Now get crackin', because this is a big issue, and you've got a lot of reading to do. Enjoy issue #12.
by Will Stewart
TSL Extra, Issue #12
