An Optimistic look at the 2020 season

jacketup

jacketup

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Good article, but everyone wants to talk about the offense (and some just want to talk about the QB)

What is buried in the article is this phrase: "With the defense likely to be good....."

The biggest improvement will be on the D. People lose sight of how many starters we lost from 2018 to 2019. We were very young on D last year. Yet we were better than 2018. Those guys are back this year, bigger and stronger and faster. And more experienced. And Collins is a D coach.

The D-backs (not Arizona) are top notch. The DEs will be vastly improved. We have some depth at DT, which is so important. At LB, I am a huge fan of Knight who will make a great leap from true FR to whatever his class rank is in this strange year.

I believe this defense will be very good, but not yet great. The offense will be improved, but I am not ready to put lofty expectations on the O side. We aren't quite where we need to be from a talent standpoint with regard to O-Line depth and experience. Same for TE. The QB's are young. No proven possesion receiver. Great RBs, but almost every team in the South has good to great RBs, and they can't block for themselves.

And no, it's not Patenaude's fault.
 
Supersizethatorder-mutt

Supersizethatorder-mutt

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jacketup said:
Good article, but everyone wants to talk about the offense (and some just want to talk about the QB)

What is buried in the article is this phrase: "With the defense likely to be good....."

The biggest improvement will be on the D. People lose sight of how many starters we lost from 2018 to 2019. We were very young on D last year. Yet we were better than 2018. Those guys are back this year, bigger and stronger and faster. And more experienced. And Collins is a D coach.

The D-backs (not Arizona) are top notch. The DEs will be vastly improved. We have some depth at DT, which is so important. At LB, I am a huge fan of Knight who will make a great leap from true FR to whatever his class rank is in this strange year.

I believe this defense will be very good, but not yet great. The offense will be improved, but I am not ready to put lofty expectations on the O side. We aren't quite where we need to be from a talent standpoint with regard to O-Line depth and experience. Same for TE. The QB's are young. No proven possesion receiver. Great RBs, but almost every team in the South has good to great RBs, and they can't block for themselves.

And no, it's not Patenaude's fault.
Click to expand...
I like all you said with the possible exception of the last line. The verdict is still out on Patenaude, and IMO, he has a lot to prove this year.
 
jacketup

jacketup

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Supersizethatorder-mutt said:
I like all you said with the possible exception of the last line. The verdict is still out on Patenaude, and IMO, he has a lot to prove this year.
Click to expand...

I agree that the verdict is still out, but you could have said the same thing about Ralph Friedgen in September of 1988. Collins gets it--far better than our last 2 coaches--and he isn't going to tie his career to a sinking ship. If Patenaude isn't the guy, he'll take care of it.
 
Supersizethatorder-mutt

Supersizethatorder-mutt

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jacketup said:
I agree that the verdict is still out, but you could have said the same thing about Ralph Friedgen in September of 1988. Collins gets it--far better than our last 2 coaches--and he isn't going to tie his career to a sinking ship. If Patenaude isn't the guy, he'll take care of it.
Click to expand...
Sure hope you're right. I don't remember any details about Fridegen's early years, but I think we could nevertheless see some level of promise in what he was doing, almost from the start.
 
LibertyTurns

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jacketup said:
I agree that the verdict is still out, but you could have said the same thing about Ralph Friedgen in September of 1988. Collins gets it--far better than our last 2 coaches--and he isn't going to tie his career to a sinking ship. If Patenaude isn't the guy, he'll take care of it.
Click to expand...
Again Friedgen did not have to prove anything. He was already proven. What was yet to be seen was whether GT required more than a genius to make it’s offense run. It did not. A mere genius was sufficient.

It’s not encouraging our OC is “mystified” by challenges. That’s a pretty damning comment right there. Square kick in the old nut sack, southern style.
 
jacketup

jacketup

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LibertyTurns said:
Again Friedgen did not have to prove anything. He was already proven. What was yet to be seen was whether GT required more than a genius to make it’s offense run. It did not. A mere genius was sufficient.

It’s not encouraging our OC is “mystified” by challenges. That’s a pretty damning comment right there. Square kick in the old nut sack, southern style.
Click to expand...


So if you read the article that started this thread, it talks about the major change in offensive style. Any coach would be "mystified". Friedgen ran a lot of two TE offense. Not an option (pardon the pun) with last year's team. Tackles in an a pass blocking offense are big and long--if you read the comments this week about telling Williams to shuffle his feet and stay between the defender and the QB to be effective with his length, you'd understand, but you obviously don't. Tackles in an an option offense are small and quick, not big and long. So we can't pass block with the talent we had last year, and that's Patenaude's fault? Ross/Friedgen walked in to a cultural problem after Curry, but not this kind of talent void. He has every right to be mystified. His options were limited with the talent he had. You repeatedly think that it's all about "play calling" and not about talent, which just shows your ignorance about the game.

I am not sure why I am taking time to cast pearls before swine, so I will stop.
 
iopjacket

iopjacket

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jacketup said:
I agree that the verdict is still out, but you could have said the same thing about Ralph Friedgen in September of 1988. Collins gets it--far better than our last 2 coaches--and he isn't going to tie his career to a sinking ship. If Patenaude isn't the guy, he'll take care of it.
Click to expand...

Ralph Friedgen was OC at Maryland under Bobby Ross from 1982 to 1987. Maryland won the ACC title in 1983, 84, and 85. After the Len Bias's death that greatly disrupted the entire Maryland Athletic Department, Friedgen followed Ross to GT for the 1987 season. Together Ross, Friedgen, and O'Leary were a very successful group of coaches at GT, and the San Diego Chargers. O'Leary and Friedgen also did well on the their return to GT in 1997.

I also think the verdict is still out on Patenaude, but I agree with you that he has a greater challege than Friedgen did in 1987.
 

SWATlien

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What CDP & Key are doing in overhauling an offense is pretty unprecedented in modern football. Let me also be honest in saying what Collins is doing with a defense that was pretty light on talent in the trenches is impressive as well. He started two walk-ons last year and the team improved. Turned a qb into a lb and now another into a corner. We’ll see what the season brings but I’m with Cunningham & I think they’ll surprise the masses.

Last year I knew they’d suck but this seasonI think they’ll be more than ok.
 
iopjacket

iopjacket

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With the possible exception of TE, Collins's staff have the parts to develop a good offence over the next 2 to 3 years. They have recruited well at QB, OL, WR, and RB. The next steps all heavily involve coaching: player development and designing an effective offence.
 
Last edited:

Heisman's Ghost

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jacketup said:
Good article, but everyone wants to talk about the offense (and some just want to talk about the QB)

What is buried in the article is this phrase: "With the defense likely to be good....."

The biggest improvement will be on the D. People lose sight of how many starters we lost from 2018 to 2019. We were very young on D last year. Yet we were better than 2018. Those guys are back this year, bigger and stronger and faster. And more experienced. And Collins is a D coach.

The D-backs (not Arizona) are top notch. The DEs will be vastly improved. We have some depth at DT, which is so important. At LB, I am a huge fan of Knight who will make a great leap from true FR to whatever his class rank is in this strange year.

I believe this defense will be very good, but not yet great. The offense will be improved, but I am not ready to put lofty expectations on the O side. We aren't quite where we need to be from a talent standpoint with regard to O-Line depth and experience. Same for TE. The QB's are young. No proven possesion receiver. Great RBs, but almost every team in the South has good to great RBs, and they can't block for themselves.

And no, it's not Patenaude's fault.
Click to expand...

I agree I suppose but it is a different game than it was just a generation ago. It is just about impossible, unless the defense is playing our offense, to shut an offense down these days. In other words, it is nearly impossible to win with just defense. The offense will have to get much, much better for there to be an improvement in the won loss column. I am skeptical that we will see that this year but who knows it may come down to the team with the fewest virus cases and "opt outs".
 
Techfan02

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I had a question but do some of the grad transfers get an extra year of eligibility or no, cause that would be fantastic if they did.
 
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