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How things look so far
Posted on: August 17, 2009 at 09:11:56 CT
Tigermad MU
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I know it's awfully early to try to evaluate the Tigers after just one week of fall practice, but it sure is fun to try. :) Here's what I see:
QB: Gabbert has far exceeded my expectations, at least. We won't know for sure until he takes the field against the Illini, but he looks on track to have a Daniel-in-2006 kind of year. Not to mention that he runs the ball far better than any 6'5", 240-lb quarterback has any right to be doing.
RB: I think this is MU's best RB lineup since the Olivo-Janes-West-Blackwell lineup of 1997. Washington, Moore, and Lawrence all look like legitimate Big 12 players. Hopefully they'll be used for something more sophisticated than our zone-read-left/zone-read-right running game from last year.
OL: These guys are both young and good, an unusual combination along the line. I think we'll be able to shove around most of the defensive lines on the schedule, though Texas and maybe Nebraska have the potential to give us fits.
WR/TE: The definite weak link on offense. Nobody seems to want to step up to be the #1 guy, and even the most experienced guys on the corps (Alexander, Perry) have struggled with the dropsies. The TE's have been good, but quiet, and it's unfair to expect them to match Coffman's production. I suspect that an untimely drop or deflection will cost us at least one game this year.
DL: I'm 3/4 happy with these guys. Baston is a known quantity, and Coulter and the two Smiths have us set at end, but the other DT is a mystery. That will probably leave us vulnerable to being run on like the 2006 defense.
LB: Easily the strongest unit on the defense. Weatherspoon, Lambert, and Gachkar are all quality starters, and they have quality depth behind them in Ebner and Gooden. Even Donavan Bonner might play some as a true freshman. I'm glad we're keeping three of these guys on the field most of the time, because. . .
DB: Our secondary has not shown much. Gabbert bent them over in the scrimmage, and there are at least three (McCoy, Reesing, Robinson) and maybe four (Williams) QB's on the schedule better than he is right now. I think the best hope for the DB's is that our DE's are REALLY good at rushing the passer.
Special Teams: Not as good as last year, but decent. Harry and Mills have punting and kickoffs down, and a decent field-goal kicker will most likely emerge before the season starts. KR and PR are question marks, but we have enough team speed that someone (Simmons?) will show up and do a respectable job. Sadly, I suspect that all the special teams TD's that we got from Maclin are a thing of the past, though.
All in all, this still looks like a 7-5 team, with the tilt toward 8-4 because of Gabbert's development. We will stumble in the non-con at least once, jump up and beat somebody we shouldn't (UT or OSU, probably) in a shootout, and lose a couple of soul-crushers to teams like KSU or CU because the offense doesn't show up on the road. We can expect a lot of exciting yet frustrating football, with scores in the 45-35 range. It'll be a decent year and a solid foundation for 2009.
Thoughts?
QB: Gabbert has far exceeded my expectations, at least. We won't know for sure until he takes the field against the Illini, but he looks on track to have a Daniel-in-2006 kind of year. Not to mention that he runs the ball far better than any 6'5", 240-lb quarterback has any right to be doing.
RB: I think this is MU's best RB lineup since the Olivo-Janes-West-Blackwell lineup of 1997. Washington, Moore, and Lawrence all look like legitimate Big 12 players. Hopefully they'll be used for something more sophisticated than our zone-read-left/zone-read-right running game from last year.
OL: These guys are both young and good, an unusual combination along the line. I think we'll be able to shove around most of the defensive lines on the schedule, though Texas and maybe Nebraska have the potential to give us fits.
WR/TE: The definite weak link on offense. Nobody seems to want to step up to be the #1 guy, and even the most experienced guys on the corps (Alexander, Perry) have struggled with the dropsies. The TE's have been good, but quiet, and it's unfair to expect them to match Coffman's production. I suspect that an untimely drop or deflection will cost us at least one game this year.
DL: I'm 3/4 happy with these guys. Baston is a known quantity, and Coulter and the two Smiths have us set at end, but the other DT is a mystery. That will probably leave us vulnerable to being run on like the 2006 defense.
LB: Easily the strongest unit on the defense. Weatherspoon, Lambert, and Gachkar are all quality starters, and they have quality depth behind them in Ebner and Gooden. Even Donavan Bonner might play some as a true freshman. I'm glad we're keeping three of these guys on the field most of the time, because. . .
DB: Our secondary has not shown much. Gabbert bent them over in the scrimmage, and there are at least three (McCoy, Reesing, Robinson) and maybe four (Williams) QB's on the schedule better than he is right now. I think the best hope for the DB's is that our DE's are REALLY good at rushing the passer.
Special Teams: Not as good as last year, but decent. Harry and Mills have punting and kickoffs down, and a decent field-goal kicker will most likely emerge before the season starts. KR and PR are question marks, but we have enough team speed that someone (Simmons?) will show up and do a respectable job. Sadly, I suspect that all the special teams TD's that we got from Maclin are a thing of the past, though.
All in all, this still looks like a 7-5 team, with the tilt toward 8-4 because of Gabbert's development. We will stumble in the non-con at least once, jump up and beat somebody we shouldn't (UT or OSU, probably) in a shootout, and lose a couple of soul-crushers to teams like KSU or CU because the offense doesn't show up on the road. We can expect a lot of exciting yet frustrating football, with scores in the 45-35 range. It'll be a decent year and a solid foundation for 2009.
Thoughts?
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How things look so far - Tigermad MU - 8/17 09:11:56
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