Ah, heck it's bit different be "retired," Ags. I've almost run out of things to annoy my wife about and it's not even July. So here I am in my no inside information, ever hopeful, pre camp mode pondering what or who may the tipping points of a successful season for us. Here's what I am thinking about (spectacles on, when your 62, that's what we call them....)
- Development of Marcel Reed - Doesn't it always start with the QB?! College football may not be fundamentally QB driven league the NFL is, but it's getting there. Good QB play matters and it starts with the passing game. QBs who can really add to the running game are a bonus. Without question, Reed will help the running game, but he must be a passer first. Am I expecting Tom Brady in the pocket?! No, of course not. Still, for us to be the offense and team we can be, he must hit on a higher percentage of the pass plays as designed or even off script. He has better receivers and hopefully a better line, which brings me to my next point...
- Continuity of O Line - We hear the cliches all the time, "best five, working together as unit, better communication, trusting the guy on either side of you...and on and on." This season is our chance to put the talk into practice and wins. I said it starts with the QB. Well, whose job is it to protect him? I've heard all the talking heads yak about how experienced our O Line is and why we "should be good." (I leave Mark out of this because I consider him thoughtful before he writes...). But experience means nothing if not developed and applied properly. I believe in Coach Cushing and what he is building. Time to see it between the hashmarks.
- Health and Development of Running Backs - When our top three backs are coming off injury (Daniels had a shoulder, as I recall), it's concerning. Still, I have no info and am certainly no doctor. I can, like y'all, cross my fingers and hope everyone is ready (or ready by bigger games.) A few things are true about our offense. Coach Klein wants to run the football. We have the guys, if healthy, to be very, very good running the ball. Third, a lot of our passing game is built off deception used in concert with the running game. But with all that said, we're going to need a little more luck health-wise than we've gotten the past few years...
- Receivers/TEs add a few surprises - On paper, both groups look much improved. I think we'll get what we're looking for out of the top guys we brought in, Concepcion, Craver et al. But I also believe we'll need some other guys to step up or surprise to make the offense really hum. We need to be able to generate chunk plays. That generally comes from the passing game and in my view, usually more scoring. So, who's it going to be? It would be awesome if Bussey breaks out or one of the TEs. Both Williams and Johnson had good Spring Games. Bottom line, I just don't believe Reed can rely on 2 or 3 top guys and see us take a significant step forward in the passing game. So putting on my Maroon tinted spectacles, and saying guys will step up for us!
- Changes to "Light" D Line cause havoc, but hold their ground - I gotta admit it's a big change. Not one I am opposed to, but Coach Elko is all in. Mind you, I anticipate no scheme change, but a lighter, faster more aggressive line seems more a change in mentality, as well as, size. My question is how well up we hold against size and power. I would hope very well. We have enough experience when the shoe is on the other foot, watching smaller quicker D Lines giving our bigger O Lines a lot of issues. Disruption only goes so far. At some point, we have to be able to dig in, anchor and stop offenses when needed. This well help our LBs read, scrape and fill. Speaking of which...
- LBs must stay clean, be disciplined and make the plays that are there - The first part has to be our Line and LBs working together. Depending on the calls, the responsibilities of each group will differ. But one main point is unchanged, LBs have to be freed up to make more plays because of the space they are in. Whether it's to fill a specific gap or set an edge, our LBs have to know the Line is doing their job so the LBs can do theirs. Too often last year, while our LBs made some "splash plays," we were undisciplined (poor run fits, overrunning or chasing plays) and missed plays that were there to make. Couple that with the poor tackling as team overall, we regressed as the season wore on. That can't happen this year. Our LBs are too talented and experienced for those sloppy kinds of mistakes.
- Who are we in the Secondary and can we get better?! - Truth is, I don't know and I'm not convinced the coaches know right now. What happens when a team wants to play a lot of complex disguised coverages, (mostly zone, based on Coach Elko's previous defenses) but the coach has still has questions?! That is the conundrum facing Coach Elko and staff. Bluntly, he offered we couldn't play zone last year. It's been a long, long time I've heard a coach so candid. So, add a new secondary coach, a couple transfers and some fish. Are the shortened Spring and Camp enough time to get our players to re-tool their fundamentals and absorb the nuances of what the coaches are demanding of them?! These are smart kids who've played football their entire lives, so yes. They need to listen, learn and take it from the practice field to Kyle Field.
