reason for hope ... Playmakers

[kcsu]

I believe that we have a chance to go 500 or better this for one reasons. More play makers on both sides of the ball. Last year we were so limited. Basically Alec, Antwon, Provo. Three guys that at best would have been role players on most other teams. On D we lost our best play maker when Chandler went out. In a D that depends on LB's to make plays we had nothing but youth. This year we get Sales who is our top reciever back, PTG is back and he is our most explosive back, AAM, and Smith will both be improved and the stud from GA will add great depth to a position that had none last year. With Sales back Alec becomes even better as he now draws the other teams number 2 corner. Provo will be missed and TE is going to be a huge weakness this year so i hope that we move more towards a three or even four wide out set and lose the TE unless Becket shows us something we have yet to see. On the D side of the ball the entire LB group is back, bigger, and seasoned. This is huge. Davis Lynch Spruil, Dan, Diet, and Virg will all be improved. I expect to see a huge jump in this group. As to the secondary with the exception of Phil we should be much improved. We have experiance and depth at every position. We are four deep at safety and four deep at CB. Huge improvement that combined with better coaching is going to make a big difference. Moving to the DL same thing. Last year Chandler wasnt a factor for most of the year and when he did play he played hurt. Marinovich took a step back in my opinion and we had nothing but youth up front. With Diesal moving outside, our returning DE's and recruits there is no doubt this unit is improved. As to the DL not even close we will be so much better this year. Depth and experiance, a very solid four or five player rotation depending on if the frosh or jucos contribute and SIZE. Block eating Run stuffing size. All in all if we can keep our key guys healthy we will be a much improved team. Go Cuse!

 

[Upstate]

That is the mother of all paragraphs, but I like what you're saying.

 

[SoBristol]

Love that optimism. Really needed at this stage.

I wonder if the playmakers on offense aren't essentially the same. Lose Provo, Chew, Harris & Bailey -- gain Sales, Gulley, Smith & Broyld. Looks like a wash -- maybe we have more depth at RB if the frosh from Georgia can play early and maybe one of the TEs responds. But Morris (that RB) was ranked #90 or so at his position -- would be surprising if he had early impact.

OL -- are Foy & Alexander an upgrade? Or Curtis or Trudo? Tiller was all Big East (surprise to many) and good at run-blocking.

On defense, we won't be a lot better unless a pass rush emerges. Maybe Goggins and the West coast juco are better than Marinovich, Chandler and Ball -- but that is guesswork at this point. Might be stouter against the run.

LBs -- yes, everyone returns but this unit is still young and undersized. No help from recruiting.

DBs -- I agree we are deeper, if guys like Lyn and Anderson are healthy in the Fall and one or more of the underclassmen steps up early.

Overall -- still looking for those playmakers.

 

[OttoForLife]

Sure hope you are right. Neither Sales nor PTG have shown the ability to be a playmaker over the course of a season.

 

[OrangePA]

I believe that we have a chance to go 500 or better this for one reasons. More play makers on both sides of the ball. Last year we were so limited. Basically Alec, Antwon, Provo. Three guys that at best would have been role players on most other teams. On D we lost our best play maker when Chandler went out. In a D that depends on LB's to make plays we had nothing but youth. This year we get Sales who is our top reciever back, PTG is back and he is our most explosive back, AAM, and Smith will both be improved and the stud from GA will add great depth to a position that had none last year. With Sales back Alec becomes even better as he now draws the other teams number 2 corner. Provo will be missed and TE is going to be a huge weakness this year so i hope that we move more towards a three or even four wide out set and lose the TE unless Becket shows us something we have yet to see. On the D side of the ball the entire LB group is back, bigger, and seasoned. This is huge. Davis Lynch Spruil, Dan, Diet, and Virg will all be improved. I expect to see a huge jump in this group. As to the secondary with the exception of Phil we should be much improved. We have experiance and depth at every position. We are four deep at safety and four deep at CB. Huge improvement that combined with better coaching is going to make a big difference. Moving to the DL same thing. Last year Chandler wasnt a factor for most of the year and when he did play he played hurt. Marinovich took a step back in my opinion and we had nothing but youth up front. With Diesal moving outside, our returning DE's and recruits there is no doubt this unit is improved. As to the DL not even close we will be so much better this year. Depth and experiance, a very solid four or five player rotation depending on if the frosh or jucos contribute and SIZE. Block eating Run stuffing size. All in all if we can keep our key guys healthy we will be a much improved team. Go Cuse!

Love the optimism!

I think the secondary will be very athletic with the added time logged by Brandon Reddish, Ritchy Desir, Wilkes and Wayne Morgan.

Looking forward to April 21,

 

[billsin01]

Love that optimism. Really needed at this stage.

I wonder if the playmakers on offense aren't essentially the same. Lose Provo, Chew, Harris & Bailey -- gain Sales, Gulley, Smith & Broyld. Looks like a wash -- maybe we have more depth at RB if the frosh from Georgia can play early and maybe one of the TEs responds. But Morris (that RB) was ranked #90 or so at his position -- would be surprising if he had early impact.

OL -- are Foy & Alexander an upgrade? Or Curtis or Trudo? Tiller was all Big East (surprise to many) and good at run-blocking.

On defense, we won't be a lot better unless a pass rush emerges. Maybe Goggins and the West coast juco are better than Marinovich, Chandler and Ball -- but that is guesswork at this point. Might be stouter against the run.

LBs -- yes, everyone returns but this unit is still young and undersized. No help from recruiting.

DBs -- I agree we are deeper, if guys like Lyn and Anderson are healthy in the Fall and one or more of the underclassmen steps up early.

Overall -- still looking for those playmakers.

I love the optimism of the original post and I think there are reasons we can be optimistic. I'm a little higher on the defensive backfield/LBs, for example. I see Davis as the type of athlete that could be excellent this year after being forced into early PT last season. Lynch I still worry may be a tweener to some degree, but he and Vaughan should be OK, Spruill I really like and if Davis is a breakout, it should be a solid group. DBs feel a little more like simply projecting based on pure athleticism, but Lyn looked real good, I like Shamarko if he can stay healthy and adding some kids like Reddish, etc., should allow for us to be solid or even pretty good here.

Offensively, though, I'm in the same boat as SoBristol. I mean, Sales with a healthy Lemon is an upgrade at WR but otherwise -- OL looks like it's still a big question mark, TE is likely worse, and while people are excited about Smith I"m not entirely sold on Gulley/Smith being a true upgrade from Bailey. The potential is there, I suppose, but I think Bailey was a bit underrated. I'm higher on Nassib than most but I still don't think he's a guy that carries a team.

And special teams ... well ... I'm not sure where to begin after the past three years.

So I think it's good to be optimistic and there are some reasons for that. But we still need that pass rush, improved OL play and drastically improved specials before we really start talking about significantly improved play overall.

 

[Rocco]

But we still need that pass rush, improved OL play and drastically improved specials before we really start talking about significantly improved play overall.

Agreed, especially with the ST. Tough to watch last year.

I am excited to see how Smith and Thompson fare. With Wales and Stevens, Thompson might have the chance to get some PT.

 

[OrangeMaNPD]

Good stuff KC.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Love that optimism. Really needed at this stage.

I wonder if the playmakers on offense aren't essentially the same. Lose Provo, Chew, Harris & Bailey -- gain Sales, Gulley, Smith & Broyld. Looks like a wash -- maybe we have more depth at RB if the frosh from Georgia can play early and maybe one of the TEs responds. But Morris (that RB) was ranked #90 or so at his position -- would be surprising if he had early impact.

OL -- are Foy & Alexander an upgrade? Or Curtis or Trudo? Tiller was all Big East (surprise to many) and good at run-blocking.

On defense, we won't be a lot better unless a pass rush emerges. Maybe Goggins and the West coast juco are better than Marinovich, Chandler and Ball -- but that is guesswork at this point. Might be stouter against the run.

LBs -- yes, everyone returns but this unit is still young and undersized. No help from recruiting.

DBs -- I agree we are deeper, if guys like Lyn and Anderson are healthy in the Fall and one or more of the underclassmen steps up early.

Overall -- still looking for those playmakers.

I agree with this 100%, I feel its goign to come down to the LB core and if we can develop any sort of vertical or even intermediary passing attack. Look theres plenty of talent in the D secondary and D line to hold our own against are schedule save for USC and probably Mizzouri. The questions are at LB and at WR/Nassib. We cant rely on Alec Lemon to take the full brunt of the passing attack, he took a beating out there last year and was doubled constantly.

Getting Sales back will help but we need somebody/anybody to show they can catch some passes downfield and the occassional bomb. Its critical Nassib work through his issues and finally hit some downfield throws, this offense will finally open up for the underneath game to Lemon and Sales if we can make defenses respect the deep pass. Maybe one of the freshman can give us a spark or Flemming breaks out or West takes that next step we just need somebody to provide that weapon the offense has been missing since Mike Williams left.

 

[Cadillac]

The downfield stuff, man, I'm just not seeing it. Millhouse nailed it with the three yards out of bounds.

We'll miss Provo but hopefully that is the end of the QB bootleg pass here-it-comes-I'm-jumping-headfirst-off-the-third-deck-of-the-Dome.

I think we need three guys to pick up Provo's production. West is almost as crucial as Sales. Then you got Stevens, and ? Hale?

Stevens is okay but I prefer a WR in there. That drop against UConn was (Steinbrenner voice lecturing George Costanza) IN-EX-CUSE-SAH-BULLLL.

 

[kcsu]

That is the mother of all paragraphs, but I like what you're saying.

Geez i just read my post and sometimes i think english is my second or third language.

 

[SoBristol]

I agree with this 100%, I feel its goign to come down to the LB core and if we can develop any sort of vertical or even intermediary passing attack. Look theres plenty of talent in the D secondary and D line to hold our own against are schedule save for USC and probably Mizzouri. The questions are at LB and at WR/Nassib. We cant rely on Alec Lemon to take the full brunt of the passing attack, he took a beating out there last year and was doubled constantly.

Getting Sales back will help but we need somebody/anybody to show they can catch some passes downfield and the occassional bomb. Its critical Nassib work through his issues and finally hit some downfield throws, this offense will finally open up for the underneath game to Lemon and Sales if we can make defenses respect the deep pass. Maybe one of the freshman can give us a spark or Flemming breaks out or West takes that next step we just need somebody to provide that weapon the offense has been missing since Mike Williams left.

Those receivers (Lemon, Sales, West, Flemming -- add Stevens) are mainly mid-range guys or possession receivers. Maybe Kobena or Hale can show some ability to get open down the field. Overall, though, we are just hoping there can be a quick strike capability.

Another missing link is yards-after-the-catch. Lemon gave us some of that, as did Bailey, but my guess is we trailed the league in YAC. We don't have many guys who can catch & make the first defender miss -- maybe Gulley?

 

[cusestudent]

Those receivers (Lemon, Sales, West, Flemming -- add Stevens) are mainly mid-range guys or possession receivers. Maybe Kobena or Hale can show some ability to get open down the field. Overall, though, we are just hoping there can be a quick strike capability.

Another missing link is yards-after-the-catch. Lemon gave us some of that, as did Bailey, but my guess is we trailed the league in YAC. We don't have many guys who can catch & make the first defender miss -- maybe Gulley?

Sales and Lemon have both shown they can do this. The deep threat and the number 3 receiver are the main concerns.

 

[billsin01]

Sales and Lemon have both shown they can do this. The deep threat and the number 3 receiver are the main concerns.

I would much rather have three good receivers than a "deep threat" b/c I tend to view that as a bit overrated (unless your deep threat is just a really, really good, big, fast receiver). Three good receivers, on the other hand, presents a lot of coverage difficulties on most snaps and you can still go downfield if one of those guys has good ball skills and/or you can legitimately sell play action.