So I suppose we're still two months out but we've certainly had an interesting 5-6 months or so and, as kcsu pointed out in another thread on talent, it's been impossibly boring around here. Figured it might be nice to do a quick wrap-up of what was -- please try not to ruin the thread with how much you hate a guy who said something at halftime of a hoops game (I'm literally begging you) -- and a look at a few interesting storylines heading into spring practice.
Quick-hitting review of the year that was:
Has there ever been a bigger in-season turnaround in the history of this program? I'm sure SWC will direct me to the infamous '52 season, but I can't think of one. P was always good at salvaging a season after a disappointing start (compliment, not insult) but i don't really remember a guy taking a team on a rampage through a conference and then on to a bowl whupping like that. I mean, DM literally went from college HC that, at best, people were largely ambivalent about to a guy that apparently was seriously considered for three NFL jobs. Wow.
Dream jobs are only dream jobs when they're really good jobs. Listen, I'm not trying to stomp on the program, but let's be honest -- it's not crazy to think DM came here thinking he'd be here a decade or more and, over the course of 4 years, he soured. I mean, it could be that simple. But, for the sake of the thread, let's just say it was a dream job and then it wasn't.
Ryan Nassib actually was pretty good. Remember when he sucked? Then he sucked vs. FBS teams? Then he sucked vs. BE teams? Well, he was pretty good. Oh, and Lemon and Sales were pretty good too. And that Pugh kid.
Where did that offensive line come from? Underrated story of the year, IMO, is where the hell that offensive line came from? Was it confidence? The new tempo? The right bodies with the right amount of seasoning? I have no idea but they went from an OL that had struggled to reach the "average" category to a pretty impressive lot.
Spring Practice Preview
I could go on forever on the wrapup, but that stuff has been hashed out. Let's look ahead at questions and storylines pertaining to the spring ... and perhaps beyond.
Meet your new, improved fan-centric coaching staff. Listen, how much we like a coach comes down to how much they win. Sometimes it boils down to how much they win in a two-month span (DM was 25-25 overall, remember). We get that. But I really think this staff appears set on trying to reach out and engage fans/recruits far more than the previous staff. I've said before -- I'm fine with DM's disdain for things like recruiting events and media interviews and booster back-slapping. However, they are a part of this game and while it won't mean we're drawing 45K for a game vs. Maine at noon on a nice Saturday in September, it can't hurt. I hate Twitter, but I love the way McDonald uses it (though I wonder what happens when the hit a two-game rough patch offensively). I like that Shafer seems pretty open and welcoming to the media. I like that they were able to generate some buzz with recruits in an awfully tough situation. Looking forward to this new era.
How do we replace DM/Hackett/Adkins? Love him or hate him, DM figured out a pretty nice formula in '12. He also, unquestionably, set stage with some hard work in terms of foundation. Team was generally well-prepared. Recruits, though lacking stars, generally tended to have solid ability, tended to arrive on campus, and generally developed well, contributing more and more as their careers went on. DM showed some flexibility, trying to figure out what worked before giving the green light to the up-tempo offense that had to run contrary to his nature. As much as I like Shafer -- and believe me, I feel like he's got a lot of great qualities -- he's an unknown. We really don't know much about McDonald as an OC. Yes, half this board has to change their sheets each night after dreaming about all the 5-star kids we're going to sign. But we don't really know what kind of OC he is. And I really know nothing about our OL coach. To the point -- I can't recall his name right now after a couple drinks. So, the point remains, we have some large shoes to fill.
What to do with Mr. Broyld? It's a better problem to have than, say, "is there a doctor somewhere that can fix DC3's hip?" Or "is this the year we actually find a quarterback?" Or "Wait, GRob wasn't fired?" But it's an interesting dilemma. I don't see him at TB or TE b/c I just don't really see the need for him there. I think there are some limitations on him at WR. My vote is to take the spring, give him a looooooonnnnnnnngggggg look at QB, maybe even all the way through Game 1 and then, at worst, have him run wild cat packages. If it doesn't work out, see how he feels about LB. Intriguing player.
Is Loeb the QB? My guess is yes, particularly after Allen's unfortunate departure. As scary as it is to be handing the reigns over after the first "good" QB we've had since McNabb, it's nice to know it's to a 5th-year kid that this staff knows. My feeling is that if someone beats him out, it's likely b/c they are pretty good. That's a good thing.
How much impact will the new faces have? This is more of a fall question, I guess, with the frosh arriving then for the most part. But I can't remember a time when so many newcomers were expected to contribute to a team already in decent shape talent-wise. Six JUCOs, if I counted right, all have a shot with Arciniega apparently in the running to start and Kelly and Williams very much in the running. But that's not all -- you have Raymon at DT, Funderburke at WR and Thompson (provided he's healthy) at TE. Add that to the fact that Loeb/Hunt, Broyld, and a few of the WRs like Lewis and Cornelius, etc., may see serious run after basically doing nothing previously and it's an interesting spot for a team with plenty of returning talent.
Wide receivers -- don't get too excited ... yet. Every year basically every poster on this board gets entirely jacked about the group of WRs we have. I call it the Tim Lane Effect -- where if you lived through that era of SU football, you think if there is a decent amount of talent at WR, then you're going to have rob moore, rob carpenter and marvin harrison running around. Well, it doesn't work that way. I'm excited about the group and I certainly believe system is very important. But I've learned to wait and see on WRs. I like West a lot and think Kobena gets shafted a bit here on this board. But ultimately replacing Lemon and Sales is a tall order.
Ditto for the offensive line. Pugh was really good. How do I know that? I broke down every game tape and graded out his blocking assignments and then ... OK, I don't really know that at all. But everyone else seems to think so and I have no reason to think otherwise. Replacing really good OL is not easy. I will say that it's nice having competition at OG and a solid returnee in Hickey at OT as well as Macky at C. That should make replacing Pugh a bit easier.
Love the potential of the Defense. With the way teams spread things out these days, I'm a firm believer of the idea that most defenses are going to give up some plays and some points. The key is to continue fighting, tackle well and be able to make some disruptive negative plays defensively. It's part talent, part system. It's obviously better to allow fewer points and yards, but it's not essential to be Alabama. So, with that said, I think this defense has a really nice mix of system (Shafer and Bullough) and talent. I really think quality interior lineman are the most valuable commodity you can have and this team appears to have quite a few. You also need rush ends and I like MPB (I know, the numbers weren't pretty last season) and think both Simmons and Welsh can do some work here. Reddish/Lyn quietly may be as a good a pair of corners as we've had here in quite some time. Anderson can play a little and Eskridge and Morgan should be interesting at safety. LBs are a question mark, but I still love Dyshawn Davis. Spruill can play and at least their are two viable candidates at MLB in Lynch and Arciniega.
Specials ... they need to be more special. Saw some improvement here last year. Needs to continue. I particularly look at Fisher and would love to see us punt the ball more consistently. I'm with Millhouse on the whole punting issue, but when you need to punt you should able to do it well.
Anything I forgot?
Edit: One thing I did forget, actually. RB could be an interesting battle. As hard as it is to imagine a talented RB like Smith and/or Gulley losing touches, Broyld figures to have an expanding role and I get the impression that Morris could be something of a game-breaker type. I'm not expecting radical shifts in PT or depth chart post-spring, but I do think it's another intriguing position battle to watch.
Quick-hitting review of the year that was:
Has there ever been a bigger in-season turnaround in the history of this program? I'm sure SWC will direct me to the infamous '52 season, but I can't think of one. P was always good at salvaging a season after a disappointing start (compliment, not insult) but i don't really remember a guy taking a team on a rampage through a conference and then on to a bowl whupping like that. I mean, DM literally went from college HC that, at best, people were largely ambivalent about to a guy that apparently was seriously considered for three NFL jobs. Wow.
Dream jobs are only dream jobs when they're really good jobs. Listen, I'm not trying to stomp on the program, but let's be honest -- it's not crazy to think DM came here thinking he'd be here a decade or more and, over the course of 4 years, he soured. I mean, it could be that simple. But, for the sake of the thread, let's just say it was a dream job and then it wasn't.
Ryan Nassib actually was pretty good. Remember when he sucked? Then he sucked vs. FBS teams? Then he sucked vs. BE teams? Well, he was pretty good. Oh, and Lemon and Sales were pretty good too. And that Pugh kid.
Where did that offensive line come from? Underrated story of the year, IMO, is where the hell that offensive line came from? Was it confidence? The new tempo? The right bodies with the right amount of seasoning? I have no idea but they went from an OL that had struggled to reach the "average" category to a pretty impressive lot.
Spring Practice Preview
I could go on forever on the wrapup, but that stuff has been hashed out. Let's look ahead at questions and storylines pertaining to the spring ... and perhaps beyond.
Meet your new, improved fan-centric coaching staff. Listen, how much we like a coach comes down to how much they win. Sometimes it boils down to how much they win in a two-month span (DM was 25-25 overall, remember). We get that. But I really think this staff appears set on trying to reach out and engage fans/recruits far more than the previous staff. I've said before -- I'm fine with DM's disdain for things like recruiting events and media interviews and booster back-slapping. However, they are a part of this game and while it won't mean we're drawing 45K for a game vs. Maine at noon on a nice Saturday in September, it can't hurt. I hate Twitter, but I love the way McDonald uses it (though I wonder what happens when the hit a two-game rough patch offensively). I like that Shafer seems pretty open and welcoming to the media. I like that they were able to generate some buzz with recruits in an awfully tough situation. Looking forward to this new era.
How do we replace DM/Hackett/Adkins? Love him or hate him, DM figured out a pretty nice formula in '12. He also, unquestionably, set stage with some hard work in terms of foundation. Team was generally well-prepared. Recruits, though lacking stars, generally tended to have solid ability, tended to arrive on campus, and generally developed well, contributing more and more as their careers went on. DM showed some flexibility, trying to figure out what worked before giving the green light to the up-tempo offense that had to run contrary to his nature. As much as I like Shafer -- and believe me, I feel like he's got a lot of great qualities -- he's an unknown. We really don't know much about McDonald as an OC. Yes, half this board has to change their sheets each night after dreaming about all the 5-star kids we're going to sign. But we don't really know what kind of OC he is. And I really know nothing about our OL coach. To the point -- I can't recall his name right now after a couple drinks. So, the point remains, we have some large shoes to fill.
What to do with Mr. Broyld? It's a better problem to have than, say, "is there a doctor somewhere that can fix DC3's hip?" Or "is this the year we actually find a quarterback?" Or "Wait, GRob wasn't fired?" But it's an interesting dilemma. I don't see him at TB or TE b/c I just don't really see the need for him there. I think there are some limitations on him at WR. My vote is to take the spring, give him a looooooonnnnnnnngggggg look at QB, maybe even all the way through Game 1 and then, at worst, have him run wild cat packages. If it doesn't work out, see how he feels about LB. Intriguing player.
Is Loeb the QB? My guess is yes, particularly after Allen's unfortunate departure. As scary as it is to be handing the reigns over after the first "good" QB we've had since McNabb, it's nice to know it's to a 5th-year kid that this staff knows. My feeling is that if someone beats him out, it's likely b/c they are pretty good. That's a good thing.
How much impact will the new faces have? This is more of a fall question, I guess, with the frosh arriving then for the most part. But I can't remember a time when so many newcomers were expected to contribute to a team already in decent shape talent-wise. Six JUCOs, if I counted right, all have a shot with Arciniega apparently in the running to start and Kelly and Williams very much in the running. But that's not all -- you have Raymon at DT, Funderburke at WR and Thompson (provided he's healthy) at TE. Add that to the fact that Loeb/Hunt, Broyld, and a few of the WRs like Lewis and Cornelius, etc., may see serious run after basically doing nothing previously and it's an interesting spot for a team with plenty of returning talent.
Wide receivers -- don't get too excited ... yet. Every year basically every poster on this board gets entirely jacked about the group of WRs we have. I call it the Tim Lane Effect -- where if you lived through that era of SU football, you think if there is a decent amount of talent at WR, then you're going to have rob moore, rob carpenter and marvin harrison running around. Well, it doesn't work that way. I'm excited about the group and I certainly believe system is very important. But I've learned to wait and see on WRs. I like West a lot and think Kobena gets shafted a bit here on this board. But ultimately replacing Lemon and Sales is a tall order.
Ditto for the offensive line. Pugh was really good. How do I know that? I broke down every game tape and graded out his blocking assignments and then ... OK, I don't really know that at all. But everyone else seems to think so and I have no reason to think otherwise. Replacing really good OL is not easy. I will say that it's nice having competition at OG and a solid returnee in Hickey at OT as well as Macky at C. That should make replacing Pugh a bit easier.
Love the potential of the Defense. With the way teams spread things out these days, I'm a firm believer of the idea that most defenses are going to give up some plays and some points. The key is to continue fighting, tackle well and be able to make some disruptive negative plays defensively. It's part talent, part system. It's obviously better to allow fewer points and yards, but it's not essential to be Alabama. So, with that said, I think this defense has a really nice mix of system (Shafer and Bullough) and talent. I really think quality interior lineman are the most valuable commodity you can have and this team appears to have quite a few. You also need rush ends and I like MPB (I know, the numbers weren't pretty last season) and think both Simmons and Welsh can do some work here. Reddish/Lyn quietly may be as a good a pair of corners as we've had here in quite some time. Anderson can play a little and Eskridge and Morgan should be interesting at safety. LBs are a question mark, but I still love Dyshawn Davis. Spruill can play and at least their are two viable candidates at MLB in Lynch and Arciniega.
Specials ... they need to be more special. Saw some improvement here last year. Needs to continue. I particularly look at Fisher and would love to see us punt the ball more consistently. I'm with Millhouse on the whole punting issue, but when you need to punt you should able to do it well.
Anything I forgot?
Edit: One thing I did forget, actually. RB could be an interesting battle. As hard as it is to imagine a talented RB like Smith and/or Gulley losing touches, Broyld figures to have an expanding role and I get the impression that Morris could be something of a game-breaker type. I'm not expecting radical shifts in PT or depth chart post-spring, but I do think it's another intriguing position battle to watch.
