Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer responds to Vick's reinstatement

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer thinks this is just the next step in Michael Vick’s eventual success story.

Vick, the former Hokies quarterback who is free after serving 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring, was conditionally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday and could participate in regular-season games as early as October.

“I’m really pleased that Michael’s going to have a chance to get back in the NFL,” Beamer said of Vick, whom he coached at Tech from 1998-2000. “I talked with him about a week, a week-and-a-half ago. He’s making every effort to get his life back right and make good decisions.

“I’m firmly pulling for him. I think he’s going to have a great story. He had a lot. He lost a lot, and now through hard work and dedication and making good decisions, he’s going to get back on his feet.”

Vick, who played for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons from 2001-08, is allowed to sign and practice with a team, but he will be forced to sit out an undetermined amount of games at the beginning of the season as punishment for his actions.

According to the Associated Press, Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest.

“I think there’s a lot of takes on that, but I think the big picture is he’s going to have a chance if he does things right to get back to the NFL,” Beamer said. “That’s what needs to happen, and I know this, he’s very dedicated to doing the things that’s going to get him back to that level.”

Moses headed to FUMA

One of the biggest members of Virginia’s 2009 recruiting class, 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive tackle Morgan Moses, will not enroll at UVa this fall. Instead, the Parade All-American out of Richmond’s Meadowbrook High School will head to Fork Union Military Academy.

Moses’ standardized test scores did not meet NCAA standards, so he will try again after spending a year at FUMA. Monday at the ACC Kickoff at the Grandover Resort, Cavaliers coach Al Groh said Moses’ commitment to Virginia remains strong.

“We think it will be a very positive thing for him, and he’s very positive about it,” Groh said. “His family is very positive about it.”

Groh was asked if he had to “re-recruit” Moses this season.

“Technically, you do,” Groh said. “But he says he’s pretty recruited.”

Spread it out

Leave it to Groh to get philosophical and existential when asked about a certain player’s role in UVa’s new spread offense. The player in question was fullback Rashawn Jackson, who is listed as the starting fullback, a position that gets very little use in the spread.

Groh became coy when describing what the Cavs’ offense would look like this fall.

“I mean, what is a spread offense?” he said. “Who knows? Oregon is well known as a spread offensive team. They were fourth in the nation in running the ball last year. Missouri is well known as a spread offense. They were fourth in the country passing the ball.

“In the evolution of this over the years, and quite a few teams are running this, all it is is a formation. It just means there’s going to be a lot of three or four open formations that spread the field from sideline to sideline, and hopefully you make plays, and hopefully you can also spread it vertically.”

Hall, for now

Groh all but confirmed that Gretna graduate Vic Hall will be the starter at quarterback when practice opens next week in Charlottesville.

“Since that’s a unilateral decision, and not one by committee, I think it’s fair to say that he’ll take the first snap,” in the first practice, Groh said.