I find thinking about the team and how it is shaping up as interesting fodder during the off year. There is all the excitement over another great recruiting still fermenting in my belly, so lets take a quick look at where my imaginations have taken me...
I remember the first full year of Rhule's recruiting. It seems like it was just last year... Oh yeah, it was just last year. I look back on how the team performed and what rhule did to address it...
So lets see what he saw and what he did...
The obvious problems were in the defensive backfield. There was a lack of talent and a lack of depth on the team. Also, there were problems with the defensive line. The offense functioned ok, but the kicker was a problem.
Rhule went out and brought in a ton of defensive back help. These guys were not only high school players, but also prep school and juco help. He knew he had to upgrade that position immediately. Also, he seemed to get more in the defensive help and finally targeted some tall wide receivers.
I find this interesting because we all could see that those were the weak spots of the team. Fast forward one year and we see the defensive backs have improved tremendously from one year to last year. Also, the defensive line improved dramatically but this was from many players already on the team maturing. It was a tremendous improvement.
Rhule found the problem and targeted it and fixed it. This past year, the entire offense was just not good. Qb play, running backs, offensive line and wide receivers were all bad. The offense this year was just as bad as the defense was the year before against the pass. Horrible.
I find it interesting that Rhule didn't get juco offensive line help or juco qb. No more panic and bringing in a lot of receivers. He just went out and brought in 2 o linemen and Marchi who they saw last year. But what did they get? They got three big time running backs. I should say they got three guys who will likely stay at running back.
Going by the guess that Rhule knows what this team needs, well, perhaps he likes his offensive line, qb, and wrs and feel all they needed was this year to get up to par. It was a tough year but I find it interesting that Rhule seemed to target only rbs.
I find that very promising because the defense had a spectacular turn around after that year. And with the wrs and olinemen in the system for a year at least, well perhaps these guys will step up. And running backs can have an immediate impact as freshmen.
Could we be seeing the offense come roaring back this year? Could we be set up for another dramatic turn around? Will the offense be as much fun to watch next year as the defense was at times this year? And what are we going to see from the defense this year? All the redshirts coming out. Another year in the system and a year of maturing.
Imagine a PJ who didn't have to run for his life. Imagine him actually learning to go through his progressions. Imagine the receivers and walker being on the same page. Imagine an oline that blocks in a coordinated fashion for both running and passing plays and are big and strong enough to get that push. Imagine any one of the three superb freshmen backs breaking off a long run or Gilmore or Williams stepping up in a big way because I suspect they are going to need to...
And I suspect the kicking game will be fixed this year. These kids just needed time to get used to the speed of the game.
I wonder what would happen if the offense turns around like the defense did this year and the defense gets even better...
It could be a very memorable year. I recommend everyone keeps their arms and legs in the car. It is going to be an exciting ride this year...
I remember the first full year of Rhule's recruiting. It seems like it was just last year... Oh yeah, it was just last year. I look back on how the team performed and what rhule did to address it...
So lets see what he saw and what he did...
The obvious problems were in the defensive backfield. There was a lack of talent and a lack of depth on the team. Also, there were problems with the defensive line. The offense functioned ok, but the kicker was a problem.
Rhule went out and brought in a ton of defensive back help. These guys were not only high school players, but also prep school and juco help. He knew he had to upgrade that position immediately. Also, he seemed to get more in the defensive help and finally targeted some tall wide receivers.
I find this interesting because we all could see that those were the weak spots of the team. Fast forward one year and we see the defensive backs have improved tremendously from one year to last year. Also, the defensive line improved dramatically but this was from many players already on the team maturing. It was a tremendous improvement.
Rhule found the problem and targeted it and fixed it. This past year, the entire offense was just not good. Qb play, running backs, offensive line and wide receivers were all bad. The offense this year was just as bad as the defense was the year before against the pass. Horrible.
I find it interesting that Rhule didn't get juco offensive line help or juco qb. No more panic and bringing in a lot of receivers. He just went out and brought in 2 o linemen and Marchi who they saw last year. But what did they get? They got three big time running backs. I should say they got three guys who will likely stay at running back.
Going by the guess that Rhule knows what this team needs, well, perhaps he likes his offensive line, qb, and wrs and feel all they needed was this year to get up to par. It was a tough year but I find it interesting that Rhule seemed to target only rbs.
I find that very promising because the defense had a spectacular turn around after that year. And with the wrs and olinemen in the system for a year at least, well perhaps these guys will step up. And running backs can have an immediate impact as freshmen.
Could we be seeing the offense come roaring back this year? Could we be set up for another dramatic turn around? Will the offense be as much fun to watch next year as the defense was at times this year? And what are we going to see from the defense this year? All the redshirts coming out. Another year in the system and a year of maturing.
Imagine a PJ who didn't have to run for his life. Imagine him actually learning to go through his progressions. Imagine the receivers and walker being on the same page. Imagine an oline that blocks in a coordinated fashion for both running and passing plays and are big and strong enough to get that push. Imagine any one of the three superb freshmen backs breaking off a long run or Gilmore or Williams stepping up in a big way because I suspect they are going to need to...
And I suspect the kicking game will be fixed this year. These kids just needed time to get used to the speed of the game.
I wonder what would happen if the offense turns around like the defense did this year and the defense gets even better...
It could be a very memorable year. I recommend everyone keeps their arms and legs in the car. It is going to be an exciting ride this year...
