2018 Offensive unit projections

Jerry the Jacket

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The potential Offensive depth chart for 2018 looks pretty good. I thought I would share my prospective on this to give us something to discuss during this slow period for GT football.

Of course the main position for any football team is the QB position. We have some experience there but we really need to develop some semblance of a passing game and refine our operation of the Paul Johnson offense. I think the writing is on the wall that CPJ is going to stay with T. Marshall and hope to develop some depth behind him.

Here is how I see the depth there:

1) T, Marshall
2) Lucas Johnson
3) Tobias Oliver

I really don’t see the freshman Graham playing unless he is Superman and we just don’t know it.

The next most important position is the B Back position. We have some talent there but again we need to really advance the performance there to develop a winning program. Here is how I see things shaking out there:

1) Benson
2) Howard
3) Jordan Mason

I hope Howard really comes on this year, we need him to so we can rotate the personnel more and keep the position fresh to close out games. I don’t see the freshman Malloy breaking into the rotation.

As usual we have a slew of A Backs. I really feel like this group underperformed in 2017 and I expect much improved performance in 2018. Here is how I see the depth:

1) Clinton Lynch
2) Qua Searcy
3) Cottrell
4) O. Jarrett
5) Dontae Smith
6) Xavier Gantt

At the center position, we are pretty set but again we need a higher level of performance in 2018. Hopefully, as with all of the line positions, another year of experience and growth will elevate that group to the status we had hoped for in 2017 but did not see materialize. Here is the depth I see at Center:

1) Cooper
2) Conner Hansen
3) Scott Morgan

The Guards were thought to be the strength of our offensive line last year but to me they also came up short of expectations. I think they have strong motivation to excel this coming season. Here is how I see the top 6 at that position:

1) Will Bryan
2) P. Braun
3) Minihan
4) Morgan
5) Maye
6) Lagood

The tackle position was a train wreck last season. We have to make major improvement here in 2018 and hopefully we will. I am concerned that A. Marshall can hold up but hopeful that he will. I think he is key to getting things going in the right direction at this position.

1) A. Marshall
2) J. Lee
3) Stickler
4) Clark
5) Ivemeyer
6) Quinney

Finally the receiver position is another place we need improved performance. This group has to step up in helping develop a more potent passing game and do a much better job of blocking the perimeter. Here is how I see the depth at the 2 receiver positions:

1) Brad Stewart
2) Jalen Camp
3) A. Sanders
4) Dolphus
5) Jair Anderson
6) Charlie Thomas

So in summary, we have a lot of potential for improvement on the offensive side of the ball. I think the real key is TaQuon Marshall. We will only go as far as he takes us. Hopefully his ability to read the option and throw the football will take a big leap and we will have the kind of football team we all want.

Go Jackets!
 

takethepoints

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Thanks for this. Well thought out, as usual.

I would make one change. I think our #3 guard as well as #2 center is Hanson. I think he'll be the first man out at both positions, but mainly at guard. That's where he saw action last year and I think Coach has him pencilled in as the next wide body in the middle.

I would also mention - but no more then that - DeFoor at OT. His status is very much up in the air right now so your list is correct, imho. But, if his NCAA appeal succeeds, he will be #3 or, if Marshall can't play, #2 on the list out there. That said, I sure do hope that a) Marshall recovers and b) DeFoor gets to play. If that happens, we'll be in high clover at OT for once.
 

GTHomer

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I noticed that Boe Tufele was not on the list for guards. Was that an oversight or do you think he is not in the top 6?
 

alagold

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--I thought Charlie Thomas was a Safety not WR?I could see Juan Thomas or Mal Carter there.
-those 4-6 Abacks are the smallest group I can remember--would like J-Mason to go to Aback
-Defoor might be key to being a really good OL
 

jgtengineer

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--I thought Charlie Thomas was a Safety not WR?I could see Juan Thomas or Mal Carter there.
-those 4-6 Abacks are the smallest group I can remember--would like J-Mason to go to Aback
-Defoor might be key to being a really good OL


We are starting Thomas at receiver first this came from CPJ.
 

Jerry the Jacket

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Yeah I missed Boe Tufele. My bad. I would think he would be given every opportunity to get into the two deep. I would put him ahead of the true freshman Maye and the walk on Lagood. I also did not include the transfer from Ole Miss due to the uncertainty regarding his eligibility for 2018. If he is available I would expect he would be competitive for the 2 deep at the tackle position.

Go Jackets!
 

iceeater1969

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Jerry, thanks for posting some football content as i am burned out on clear bags, tstan, etc. 58 DAYS TILL SPRING GAME..

I hope we can find away to get the backups a few quality plays each half.

By stzrt of season i also hope our likely offensive line starters, who are all seasoned upperclassmen can play fast and hard with few missed assignments. This is the Key to a good season.
 

lastoption

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Great post. Thank you. The one question I have is whether WR blocking needs to significantly improve. I thought generally that was something of a bright spot last year so I would be happy if they are able to replicate the blocking side of things at the WR position. Obviously replacing Ricky will be difficult because I think he was a very good blocker in addition to being the receiving threat. Definitely agree that there has to be more receiving production overall to keep defenses honest.
 

tatertot1

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Jerry, thanks for posting some football content as i am burned out on clear bags, tstan, etc. 58 DAYS TILL SPRING GAME..

I hope we can find away to get the backups a few quality plays each half.

By stzrt of season i also hope our likely offensive line starters, who are all seasoned upperclassmen can play fast and hard with few missed assignments. This is the Key to a good season.
Hey iceeater69 let me know when your there at the spring game this yr we'll be going 3 of us got to sit by my buddy and flea77 lol shoot me a message when u get there Go Jackets!!!
 

iceeater1969

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I think Howard may get reps at Aback. Maybe a pretty significant amount. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him utilized as our #2 or #3 ab if he handles the transition there.
Good point
I agree .

We need an ab that can cut up field and get 3 yards if hit by pursing lb/safety. Now we get 0. He may not break long plays but could also be big blocking or running midline. He does have a quick first step. He is too good to be on bench.
 

gtwcf

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I'll be interested to see how Lynch does. I think we may have slightly rushed him back last year. It wasn't until the end of the year that I started to see the burst and cutting I had gotten accustomed to over his previous 2 years. I'd love to see him get back to the 40 play a game playmaker that he was before his surgery.
 

Jacket in Dairyland

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Good analysis ! To me , it's all about the O line. Pretty solid nucleus : Braun, Cooper, Bryan ....maybe Marshall , and Lee. Very unproven behind them, IMO. It seems as if we can never build real depth without too much drop off. Hold your breath for no injuries, defections, etc.
We must develop a WR that can get separation .....maybe Sanders is it ? AB and BB are solid, if we get good line play,
TM is a very talented QB. If he gets an opportunity to set his feet and make some reads on 2nd and 6 , instead of 3rd and 9 + ( see OL play again ) , we might just
surprise some people. I learned a while back that just because a player spends another year in a system doesn't automatically make them a lot better......some guys hit their ceiling their senior year of HS.
 

Jerry the Jacket

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I think you are spot on with your comments about players having to make progress. That is always the unknown. You expect them to get bigger, stronger and more adept at executing the fundamentals associated with their position. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. At best it happens more for some than for others. It feels to me like, unless we have a whole lot of individuals collectively make a solid gain this season, we are destined to be a .500 football team again. But you never know until they tee it up and play the games.

Go Jackets!
 

dressedcheeseside

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I think you are spot on with your comments about players having to make progress. That is always the unknown. You expect them to get bigger, stronger and more adept at executing the fundamentals associated with their position. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. At best it happens more for some than for others. It feels to me like, unless we have a whole lot of individuals collectively make a solid gain this season, we are destined to be a .500 football team again. But you never know until they tee it up and play the games.

Go Jackets!
I think the more complicated a position is to master, the most likely you’re going to see improvement due to reps/Year’s in system. Our offense is one of the more complicated out there.

It also matters how long a unit has been together with limited change. Our O depends on speed, precision and synchronicity of execution. We have a large chunk of our O back so I look for those things to be much improved.
 

Skeptic

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If this were a "standard" offense and used a tailback in addition to a fullback, it would be a breakout, NFL-look year for Cottrell. He has everything the other two up top have, and size to boot. He might be the first A back with 4-5 carries a game winding up with a career in the NFL.
 

tech_wreck47

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Keep an eye out for Jordan Ponchez-Mason he was moved to Aback but then back to Bback and CPJ said something along the lines of he wants to get him on the field because of his ability. IMO he’s the best pure runner at Bback and maybe the whole team.Howard is probably a more natural a Bback though, and Mason is more of a do it all type of back. I could see a very very good 1 2 punch with them.
 

OldJacketFan

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Keep an eye out for Jordan Ponchez-Mason he was moved to Aback but then back to Bback and CPJ said something along the lines of he wants to get him on the field because of his ability. IMO he’s the best pure runner at Bback and maybe the whole team.Howard is probably a more natural a Bback though, and Mason is more of a do it all type of back. I could see a very very good 1 2 punch with them.

And what do you do with Benson? :D
 
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