Frenchise
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I think none of us saw it in 2013. By 2014 we knew we had a darn good WR.
Positions That Worry Me
- Thread starter JazzyD95
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Northeast Stinger
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Feels like we may get into a straining at gnats contest here. No question Winston is a better quarterback that Prescott. But you and I remember last season differently. Winston had previous games in which he was totally unfocused to start the game, perhaps due to off the field scandals. His coach did a lot of "talking" to him during those games and, at times, Winston exhibited some inappropriate on field behavior that had to be handled delicately to keep him from totally blowing up. I had already concluded he was more focused during the Tech game than I had seen him all year but then CPJ said the same thing even more emphatically. CPJ doesn't blow smoke and he doesn't make stuff up.
This is not to excuse Tech's bad defensive play nor is it to say that everything you have pointed out is not true. You and I may have to agree to disagree but I still say Winston played his best game of the season against Tech and it was not just because he was playing Tech. Prior to the Tech game, Winston had played six games in a row in which he got off to horrible starts and that included the game against the mighty defense of Virginia in which he threw two interceptions. Earlier in the season he had 3 turnovers and allowed NC State to get up by 17 points before rallying in the second half. It wasn't just against great defenses that he was struggling prior to the Tech game.
JacketFromUGA
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after the spring game AB is no longer a concern for me. Are they top of the line heading into the summer? Not at all but I have all the confidence they are where they need to be and will continue to progress.
With Skov coming in my concern for BB has gone down a bit. A proven goal line carrier but more importantly an experienced pass protector for the obvious passing downs.
With Skov coming in my concern for BB has gone down a bit. A proven goal line carrier but more importantly an experienced pass protector for the obvious passing downs.
dressedcheeseside
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My biggest concern is replacing Shaq. That dude made the offense go as much as JT did. Shamire doesn't appear committed enough to get the weight off and that is a huge concern. It means we have to shuffle guys around and away from where they'd be most effective. Not good.
presjacket
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Positions of concern to me, most concern listed first:
1. BB. We have no returning experience. It is very important to our offense. I am so concerned that I even started a thread on it last month.
2. WR. Will we have a go to receiver we can count on in the clutch to replace Smelter and Waller?
3. DL. Will Jabari be eligible in the fall? If not, can we expect improvement from last season?
4. LB. I want to see improvement in our D and there is room for improvement here plus we lose Nealy.
5. AB. I'm not sure that our returning A-backs with game experience were the best blockers from last years group.
6. S. Room for improvement.
7. OL. Lost an All American in Mason. How do you replace that? Fortunately we do return a lot of guys with game experience.
8. CB. Confident in White and Milton.
9. QB. Can we make it through the season without our #3 QB being needed to win a game?
1. BB. We have no returning experience. It is very important to our offense. I am so concerned that I even started a thread on it last month.
2. WR. Will we have a go to receiver we can count on in the clutch to replace Smelter and Waller?
3. DL. Will Jabari be eligible in the fall? If not, can we expect improvement from last season?
4. LB. I want to see improvement in our D and there is room for improvement here plus we lose Nealy.
5. AB. I'm not sure that our returning A-backs with game experience were the best blockers from last years group.
6. S. Room for improvement.
7. OL. Lost an All American in Mason. How do you replace that? Fortunately we do return a lot of guys with game experience.
8. CB. Confident in White and Milton.
9. QB. Can we make it through the season without our #3 QB being needed to win a game?
Frenchise
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Is shamire's strength drive blocking like Shaq? Or would Shaq's replacement in that area be Joe or Burden(I know he's a center)?
alaguy
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yep, it can happen for Summers but he has never made the type of plays Smelter did in '13 --remember Pitt game ?
I think we will have a serviceable passing game but not nearly as dynamic as last yr- our best chance to match our '14 OFf is for the OL to DOMINATE for the all the new backs.
Techster
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He goes by the name, Christian Philpott.
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My worries about the WR position are mostly about the drops and not physical ability to separate etc. This offense creates a lot of space for WRs to work with. We will be getting people open. Remember all the drops we suffered through in the first half of the CPJ era? We had bad passing and bad catching too. The last few years that has improved dramatically. I want it to stay that way. Just give me guys who can block and hang on to the ball. Besides, the guys I have seen in the pipeline can all move. We will not be plodding and slow footed.
Skeptic
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Speaking of which, Boomer -- or anybody else really -- what do you see as the upside of Thomas's passing? Not so much in throwing more since there seems little need for that, but is the 51% completion rate and 1,800 yards the optimum for the kid? I thought we missed some deep open sideline routes, and more than one of his scrambles could have ended in completions. I'm not greedy, just curious.
Buzzoff
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Agree. Hill had a lot of drops.
Skeptic
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GT and the NFL are long ago in competing terms, but every time I think about it, it baffles me. Tools, size, speed and, I think, anyway, hands; a guy who could climb ladders and lay out to make impossible catches, but would get his ribs caved in by a routinely catchable ball and the defenders in the next area code over. One who with sheer determination and effort and against all advice declared early for the draft after that erratic Tech career and made himself a strong draft choice. Maybe "want to" extends beyond the difficult, but includes the routine. At a Hot Stove League meeting several years ago I asked the speaker, who had been an National League shortstop for a brief visit, about a great play I had seen him make in Cincinnati. He was appreciative but dismissive: "Most any shortstop could make the really hard play. I didn't stick because the trick is to make the easy, routine play every time. Every time. People would be surprised how many can't. That's why I am now a scout."
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51% in this offense is pretty darned good if you ask me. We don't do dump offs and screens. Show me other teams who hit 50% of balls chucked down field. To answer your question, I wouldn't ever really expect too much over, say, 53 or 54%. If we do, it means we are not running like we used to and have changed the offense. If you want to judge our passing against other programs, look at efficiency numbers, or average per completion etc. When we hit a pass, it is like a boxer landing a power shot. We don't dance around and flick jabs through the air. Our jabs are the BB dive and rocket toss sweep.
GlennW
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Last season, Justin Thomas took it upon himself to work in the offseason with the Wide Receivers and Running Backs on their "ball catching" skills and mesh/handoffs, and from everything I've read, he's doing the same thing this year.
Working on timing patterns, the speed of the pass getting to the recivers, the feel of the pass, etc., in repetion was key last season im my opinion, and will pay dividends. Also, working with the "mesh" with the new B-Back(s), and timing with the A-Backs, will also help come game-time.
We all know we had several injuries on the O-Line this Spring, so we really don't what it will look like this coming Fall. What we DO know is that it closed out 2014 dominant, and we only lost Shaq Mason, so finding his replacement, regardless of whether we move one of the other starters to his position and backfill to THEIR position, or whatever happens, if our line plays as physical from the start in 2015 as they ended up in 2014, then Justin will have a world of options with the ball in his hand from the first snap, and we all know how dangerous he is in that position.
Hopefully Jabari will get his classes in order so he'll be eligible next Fall, and if this is the case, suddenly, our D-Line could become one of the strengths of the defense instead of the weak link, like last season. The D-Backs look to be the best we've had in years, so the only potential question mark will the the LB corps, outside of Paul Davis, who is a machine. However, if our D-Line and DB's can be stellar, this could mean Ted Roof will feel more comfortable getting even more aggressive with his play calling, including blitzes, etc., which should take pressure off of the LB's staying close to a player or position for extended periods.
Working on timing patterns, the speed of the pass getting to the recivers, the feel of the pass, etc., in repetion was key last season im my opinion, and will pay dividends. Also, working with the "mesh" with the new B-Back(s), and timing with the A-Backs, will also help come game-time.
We all know we had several injuries on the O-Line this Spring, so we really don't what it will look like this coming Fall. What we DO know is that it closed out 2014 dominant, and we only lost Shaq Mason, so finding his replacement, regardless of whether we move one of the other starters to his position and backfill to THEIR position, or whatever happens, if our line plays as physical from the start in 2015 as they ended up in 2014, then Justin will have a world of options with the ball in his hand from the first snap, and we all know how dangerous he is in that position.
Hopefully Jabari will get his classes in order so he'll be eligible next Fall, and if this is the case, suddenly, our D-Line could become one of the strengths of the defense instead of the weak link, like last season. The D-Backs look to be the best we've had in years, so the only potential question mark will the the LB corps, outside of Paul Davis, who is a machine. However, if our D-Line and DB's can be stellar, this could mean Ted Roof will feel more comfortable getting even more aggressive with his play calling, including blitzes, etc., which should take pressure off of the LB's staying close to a player or position for extended periods.
dressedcheeseside
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Summers and Jeune have good hands.... Messick still has to prove it to me, he's been inconsistent at best. The Abacks need to be good pass catchers, too. That's another dimension we lose with the loss of the senior posse. At least Marcus Allen looks like he can catch and run pretty good, that's a plus!