Apologies for the delay, but my wife confiscated my electronics after my wreck and you probably wouldn't have wanted to read anything written under whatever that stuff was they gave me (or maybe you would've. Who knows?). In any case, work to be done.
In the last couple days, there have been several "power rankings" that have come out on the SEC that have the Aggies either in the middle or the lower parts of the conference for the upcoming season. Now, for starters, let's be clear on something: those things are, and always have been, utter crap (save for the ones I do for Monday Thoughts, which are both accurate and mind-blowingly brilliant). Ones in the offseason are even more so, because the writers (usually regional or national guys) have very limited specific information on what each program did in the spring or what's improved, so they make assumptions. In the case of A&M, going off of last year isn't such a swell idea, because a lot of changes (read: improvements) have been made. Here, I'm going to give 10 reasons I think the Aggies are being underrated by the national types.
1. They don't know much about Kyle Allen (and nothing about Kyler Murray or Jake Hubenak). Allen, from all accounts, made great strides during spring practice and impressed the coaching staff a great deal. If true, he's better already than nearly all of the quarterbacks in the conference -- it is, after all, a bad year for QBs and he's not bad. So the QB situation is already improved over the end of last year. Add in two guys who, at least on paper, can handle things capably and the Aggies are well ahead of most all of the teams in the conference.
2. They don't know who James White is. Or, at the very least, they're overlooking him. A lot of people think Tra Carson is the only real weapon in the Aggies' offensive backfield, and that's bogus. White is legit and he's going to add a second pounder to the running back corps this year on a more frequent basis. If the offensive line is solid -- and it should be, at least -- then A&M can use its pace and two big backs to wear teams down later in games.
3. Christian Kirk is the truth, and RSJ appears to have taken a big step forward. It took about one practice to see that Kirk was every bit as advertised, which is about as long as it took to figure Speedy was the truth last spring. He's been catching passes from Allen for years, so he could be a security blanket like Josh Reynolds was last year and Mike Evans was for Johnny. RSJ dominated at times in the spring, and if you get him in a position where he's the thread in the middle of the field we all think he can be, and that's four deadly receivers on the field at once. Teams will have to pick their poison.
4. The pass rush is has the potential to be dangerous. Note that I didn't say "Myles Garrett". There's going to be more to it than that. With Julien Obioha seeing time inside, look for Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall to be out on the field with Garrett a lot more. Garrett is going to be even more deadly this year -- count on that -- and a bigger, stronger, more aggressive Hall or Cunningham is going to make things a lot more difficult for opponents.
5. The interior of the defensive line is very deep. At one spot, you've got Hardreck Walker, Zaycoven Henderson and DeShawn Washington; the other, you've got Alonzo Williams, Daylon Mack, Obioha and Justin Manning. Manning has the size to play both positions. In any event, your two deep is strong, but you can go deeper to keep guys fresh if need be. It's a big difference from a couple of years ago.
6. The change in scheme is going to make the front line better. Read and react, with guys like Garrett, Alonzo Williams and Hall was a waste. Really, if you want to add Henderson to that list, you're welcome to. This year, the front line will have the task of pushing up the field and attacking, not waiting. That should lead to more tackles for loss and free up the linebackers to make plays.
7. A healthy linebacker corps is thin, but solid. At the end of the season, Josh Walker and Otaro Alaka were both playing very good football. Shaan Washington had a lot of tackles last year, but we saw what he can do when turned loose in 2013, when he tied for the team lead in sacks while barely playing. A.J. Hilliard and Claude George are versatile enough that they can handle multiple positions. This bunch will have to stay healthy, because otherwise you're back to relying on freshmen, but they can handle things adeptly if the front line is as good as we think it is.
8. The safety positions, thanks to Justin Evans, are suddenly deep. Evans was a revelation in the spring, making a ton of plays and adjusting to the defense quickly. There was no bigger playmaker in the secondary that Armani Watts, and the two will be playing together this fall. Add in Donovan Wilson, Devonta Burns and the two talented freshmen of Larry Pryor and Justin Dunning, and there's some players at a position where it didn't seem like there would be many.
9. Special teams (with the exception of PK) are really good. Drew Kaser is the best punter in the nation. Christian Kirk, Speedy and Kendall Bussey give the Aggies explosive return options. Brandon Williams, Watts, Kirk and Alex Sezer were outstanding gunners on return coverage in the spring. The Aggies should have a lot of success on returns and give up very little in return. If Taylor Bertolet can be remotely consistent, this could be the best special teams unit in the conference.
10. The coaching staff is better at two critical positions. It's tough to say anyone's an improvement over David Beaty, but Aaron Moorehead seems to be able to teach the receivers how to beat the jam, one thing Beaty had trouble with. But the two I mean are Dave Christensen on the O-line and, obviously, Chavis. Chavis is possibly the preeminent defensive mind of the last 25 years, and he has gotten a lot out of less than what A&M has in the past. Christensen has been highly successful running the football everywhere he's gone, and there's a lot of bulk up front for the Aggies and some real talent in the backfield for him to work with. Playtime's over for Kevin Sumlin, and he was proactive this offseason. It should pay off in results.
In the last couple days, there have been several "power rankings" that have come out on the SEC that have the Aggies either in the middle or the lower parts of the conference for the upcoming season. Now, for starters, let's be clear on something: those things are, and always have been, utter crap (save for the ones I do for Monday Thoughts, which are both accurate and mind-blowingly brilliant). Ones in the offseason are even more so, because the writers (usually regional or national guys) have very limited specific information on what each program did in the spring or what's improved, so they make assumptions. In the case of A&M, going off of last year isn't such a swell idea, because a lot of changes (read: improvements) have been made. Here, I'm going to give 10 reasons I think the Aggies are being underrated by the national types.
1. They don't know much about Kyle Allen (and nothing about Kyler Murray or Jake Hubenak). Allen, from all accounts, made great strides during spring practice and impressed the coaching staff a great deal. If true, he's better already than nearly all of the quarterbacks in the conference -- it is, after all, a bad year for QBs and he's not bad. So the QB situation is already improved over the end of last year. Add in two guys who, at least on paper, can handle things capably and the Aggies are well ahead of most all of the teams in the conference.
2. They don't know who James White is. Or, at the very least, they're overlooking him. A lot of people think Tra Carson is the only real weapon in the Aggies' offensive backfield, and that's bogus. White is legit and he's going to add a second pounder to the running back corps this year on a more frequent basis. If the offensive line is solid -- and it should be, at least -- then A&M can use its pace and two big backs to wear teams down later in games.
3. Christian Kirk is the truth, and RSJ appears to have taken a big step forward. It took about one practice to see that Kirk was every bit as advertised, which is about as long as it took to figure Speedy was the truth last spring. He's been catching passes from Allen for years, so he could be a security blanket like Josh Reynolds was last year and Mike Evans was for Johnny. RSJ dominated at times in the spring, and if you get him in a position where he's the thread in the middle of the field we all think he can be, and that's four deadly receivers on the field at once. Teams will have to pick their poison.
4. The pass rush is has the potential to be dangerous. Note that I didn't say "Myles Garrett". There's going to be more to it than that. With Julien Obioha seeing time inside, look for Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall to be out on the field with Garrett a lot more. Garrett is going to be even more deadly this year -- count on that -- and a bigger, stronger, more aggressive Hall or Cunningham is going to make things a lot more difficult for opponents.
5. The interior of the defensive line is very deep. At one spot, you've got Hardreck Walker, Zaycoven Henderson and DeShawn Washington; the other, you've got Alonzo Williams, Daylon Mack, Obioha and Justin Manning. Manning has the size to play both positions. In any event, your two deep is strong, but you can go deeper to keep guys fresh if need be. It's a big difference from a couple of years ago.
6. The change in scheme is going to make the front line better. Read and react, with guys like Garrett, Alonzo Williams and Hall was a waste. Really, if you want to add Henderson to that list, you're welcome to. This year, the front line will have the task of pushing up the field and attacking, not waiting. That should lead to more tackles for loss and free up the linebackers to make plays.
7. A healthy linebacker corps is thin, but solid. At the end of the season, Josh Walker and Otaro Alaka were both playing very good football. Shaan Washington had a lot of tackles last year, but we saw what he can do when turned loose in 2013, when he tied for the team lead in sacks while barely playing. A.J. Hilliard and Claude George are versatile enough that they can handle multiple positions. This bunch will have to stay healthy, because otherwise you're back to relying on freshmen, but they can handle things adeptly if the front line is as good as we think it is.
8. The safety positions, thanks to Justin Evans, are suddenly deep. Evans was a revelation in the spring, making a ton of plays and adjusting to the defense quickly. There was no bigger playmaker in the secondary that Armani Watts, and the two will be playing together this fall. Add in Donovan Wilson, Devonta Burns and the two talented freshmen of Larry Pryor and Justin Dunning, and there's some players at a position where it didn't seem like there would be many.
9. Special teams (with the exception of PK) are really good. Drew Kaser is the best punter in the nation. Christian Kirk, Speedy and Kendall Bussey give the Aggies explosive return options. Brandon Williams, Watts, Kirk and Alex Sezer were outstanding gunners on return coverage in the spring. The Aggies should have a lot of success on returns and give up very little in return. If Taylor Bertolet can be remotely consistent, this could be the best special teams unit in the conference.
10. The coaching staff is better at two critical positions. It's tough to say anyone's an improvement over David Beaty, but Aaron Moorehead seems to be able to teach the receivers how to beat the jam, one thing Beaty had trouble with. But the two I mean are Dave Christensen on the O-line and, obviously, Chavis. Chavis is possibly the preeminent defensive mind of the last 25 years, and he has gotten a lot out of less than what A&M has in the past. Christensen has been highly successful running the football everywhere he's gone, and there's a lot of bulk up front for the Aggies and some real talent in the backfield for him to work with. Playtime's over for Kevin Sumlin, and he was proactive this offseason. It should pay off in results.
