Its amazing how this team is even competing as well as it is...

[bothsocksup]

sorry for the long title, but i was watching some highlights from last years team, and its just mind boggling how much talent we lost...

Our best running back in Delone Carter, a player capable of starting for the Colts
Our best reciever in Sales, who was poised to have a breakout year
Our two best linebackers in Hogue in Smith, both who will play downs in teh NFL
Our best DB in Holmes who was very undderrated in my opnion
Our best Special Teams player in Long (Krautman was pretty good, but for the post ill make it dramatic)
Our most expereinced interior lineman in Tribbey and Lewis
... and while hes still on the roster, were playing without Chandler Jones who is the best prospect probably on either side of the ball...

With all of that said, im happy with 2-1 right now, but the finish to this season could go either way, 4-8 or 8-4

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

Alongside Delone, Long was the biggest loss in my book. Losing those two guys shifted our strengths entirely. Figuring out how to replace them, or hide that flaw if there are no suitable replacements, will decide if we tread water or push forward this year.

As for the rest of the points, I am not really that surprised.

-Sales was not our best receiver. In 2011-12, BOTH Chew and Lemon have the opportunity to match what Sales did in his three COMBINED years of play. He is missed, but Chew and Lemon have proven that, when healthy, the reason Sales sat so long might not have been completely due to a cloak & dagger issue.

-Hogue and Smith were great, but I always thought that bringing in kids specifically to play LB would decrease the learning curve and would have them catching up to their predecessors rather quickly. Avoiding that drastic drop-off that many feared would occur.

-Like the LBs, Holmes and Merk had done some bouncing around themselves. You could play "what if" all day in regards to where we'd be if we still had these two, but the same coaching that turned them into very good players will do the same with their replacements. Sooner rather than later.

-The DTs were overrated. They did their jobs, but they weren't playmakers and they weren't all that big... so while the new wave are smaller than we would like to see, their athleticism is helping to even the playing field.

 

[rrlbees]

sorry for the long title, but i was watching some highlights from last years team, and its just mind boggling how much talent we lost...

Our best running back in Delone Carter, a player capable of starting for the Colts
Our best reciever in Sales, who was poised to have a breakout year
Our two best linebackers in Hogue in Smith, both who will play downs in teh NFL
Our best DB in Holmes who was very undderrated in my opnion
Our best Special Teams player in Long (Krautman was pretty good, but for the post ill make it dramatic)
Our most expereinced interior lineman in Tribbey and Lewis
... and while hes still on the roster, were playing without Chandler Jones who is the best prospect probably on either side of the ball...

With all of that said, im happy with 2-1 right now, but the finish to this season could go either way, 4-8 or 8-4

The way I look at it is all teams can make the same claims. We aren't the only program that graduates kids or gets injuries. We need to recruit better and build some depth. Not every graduation or injury should be looked at as a killer and a difference maker in the record. Strap 'em up.

 

[lvilleorange]

The way I look at it is all teams can make the same claims. We aren't the only program that graduates kids or gets injuries. We need to recruit better and build some depth. Not every graduation or injury should be looked at as a killer and a difference maker in the record. Strap 'em up.

Perfectly stated. Staying relevant in college necessitates the need to have depth to overcome graduation/injuries. DM is just starting to get the numbers up to the point where he can start building that depth.

 

[echosofmanley]

Next year
On offense- Tiller and Hay on Oline. Bailey, Provo and Chew are the main losses.
On defense-A chance Chandler leaves early and MM is done at DE, Scott at DB.

 

[GoCuse14]

Next year
On offense- Tiller and Hay on Oline. Bailey, Provo and Chew are the main losses.
On defense-A chance Chandler leaves early and MM is done at DE, Scott at DB.

Chandler has already stated that he will play out the remainder of his eligbility

 

[echosofmanley]

Chandler has already stated that he will play out the remainder of his eligbility

Thanks-
Hopefully he gets in a full year in 2012 and makes some coin. It will be hardened LB core, and two 4 year lettermen S's with NFL chances behind him. CBs still a work in progress, but with major upside. At DT-better size and numbers.

 

[GoCuse14]

overall our D should be very very solid next year.
We will have questions on OL, RB and TE.
WR's should be very good, Nassib will be good

 

[SoBristol]

Biggest losses from last year:
Inside running with Carter -- Cruz at TE, Bart at C were much better blockers than their replacements. Carter got yards after the first hit.
Solid 3 LBs (esp Hogue) and solid secondary. We have some talent (esp Spruill) but in spots, the replacements might need 2 years to match what we had last year.
Injuries have contributed to the issues with the DBs.
We knew the defense would take several steps back. To me, the disappointment so far is the inability to get Bailey going as our prime RB. The passing game is better than last year, but is it good enough to carry the team if the running attack doesn't contribute more than 60 yds per game?

 

[echosofmanley]

when

Biggest losses from last year:
Inside running with Carter -- Cruz at TE, Bart at C were much better blockers than their replacements. Carter got yards after the first hit.
Solid 3 LBs (esp Hogue) and solid secondary. We have some talent (esp Spruill) but in spots, the replacements might need 2 years to match what we had last year.
Injuries have contributed to the issues with the DBs.
We knew the defense would take several steps back. To me, the disappointment so far is the inability to get Bailey going as our prime RB. The passing game is better than last year, but is it good enough to carry the team if the running attack doesn't contribute more than 60 yds per game?

When you say carry-if you mean get us bowl eligible. I would say yes. I dont think anything else is realistic given the youth and all the defections who would be upperclassmen.

 

[texascpa]

overall our D should be very very solid next year.
We will have questions on OL, RB and TE.
WR's should be very good, Nassib will be good

Whole team should be very good. We lose very little.

All WR's return
QB returns
We have capable TEs coming back
Practically the whole D comes back except Marinovich
OL is a little unsettling, but we only lose 2, correct?

 

[SoBristol]

The departures on offense are Bailey, Chew, Harris, Provo, Tiller, Hay -- 5 starters.
You would think one of the younger WRs would step up, but I haven't seen it so far, and we could really use a true #1 WR to pair with Lemon.
At RB, we have a big issue -- where is the younger talent? Presumably, Moore will get his chance soon and there are some kids on the commit list (Smallwood at Milford, McFarlane).
OL -- not clear what we have in depth, as the best candidates (Hickey, Curtis) are injured and the starting OL gets all the minutes. Tiller is our best drive blocker, but he and Hay aren't all-stars as pass blockers, so presumably there won't be a great fall-off.
Main issue -- surrounding our experienced QB with playmakers at least equal to Chew and Bailey.

On D, we lose Scott at CB as well as Marinovich but the others return, and having a healthy Chandler Jones makes a big difference. Now, if your defense isn't all that good, having everyone back doesn't always mean that much. The issues would be (a) rushing the passer (without sending LBs or safeties); and (b) talent (other than Jones and Spruill). Recruiting seems to be focusing on LBs/DEs -- should have much better depth anyway.

 

[GoCuse14]

Whole team should be very good. We lose very little.

All WR's return
QB returns
We have capable TEs coming back
Practically the whole D comes back except Marinovich
OL is a little unsettling, but we only lose 2, correct?

What makes you confident about our RB situation? Yeah we do only lose 2 on the line and now that I think about it as long as there is some developement we have recruited fairly well there the last couple years. TE's I still dont know what to think. We lose Stevens and Provo. At least Beckett is getting some PT this year. Max was a good looking recruit hopefully that translates to his position switch.

Not all WR's, we do lose out biggest threat in Van Chew...but will Sales step back into the picture? I think that if we are thrown into the ACC for football right away next season's team might be the team to do it with.