When I’m disappointed in recruiting news I cheer myself up by reminding myself that we are about ten days from the start of the season (thank God). One thing I’m thankful for with the hiring of Coach Venables is the veil of secrecy of Coach Muleshoe has been lifted and we can actually make some team observations. I also enjoy the analysis that Ted Lehman and Gabe Ikard provide from their observations. From viewing with my own eyes as well as reading between the lines from the thoughts of others, a few thoughts.
1)I keep reading about the impressive performance of the wide receiving corps. I’m still quite skeptical. Nic Anderson certainly looks the part and I’m happy to see that Andrel Anthony has provided a potential deep threat but I’m very worried about the losses of Marvin Mims and Brayden Willis (I’m lumping TE’s into the wide receiving room). We need a go to receiver. I still view Farooq as a complimentary piece and am concerned about the remaining options. I remember how hard a time our guys had getting open at various points last season. I hope this doesn’t repeat itself.
2) I remain skeptical about our entire offense in fact with the exception of the quarterback room. Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold look great. However reading between the lines of Gabe Ikards comments about the offensive line, depth will be an issue. He also seems to be concerned about our ability in short yardage situations. It must be said-as much criticism as our offense took last year, by seasons end we had two NFL quality tackles, a salty starting running back (Eric Gray) and a quality number one receiver in Marvin Mims. Those guys will be tough to replace. The running back room is talented but there seems to be concerned about the ability to do the little things like blitz pick-ups.
3)I am hopeful our defense will be much improved. The line backing corp has the potential to be tremendous. Great upgrades in athleticism and depth. Same goes for the secondary. The worry is that our interior defensive line just isn’t wear it needs to be. We have some depth but nobody who really seems to be an NFL talent. We may struggle against teams like Baylor or Texas who have big physical offensive lines. We need to upgrade this before SEC time ASAFP. And we are. I know it’s disappointing about Nwaneri but our recruiting has been salty recently.
4)As guarded as I am about some aspects of the team, it must be said that the downgrade to the schedule is greatly beneficial. No Kansas St. No Texas Tech. Some of the new teams should be formidable (ask Baylor about going to Provo) but we should be favored in all but…maybe one game? Two at the most…
5) Overall I believe that our record will be significantly better than 6-7 but that we are still a couple of years away. I do believe that this coaching staff has clear eyes on what it takes to be SEC ready and is upgrading our talent but it is a process. It is quite evident upon reflection why Lincoln Riley was so adamantly opposed to SEC admission. He would’ve been exposed. Selfishly I’m thrilled that the PAC 12 is falling apart because it will adversely affect USC. Anyway I do remain a believer in Coach Venables and Joe C.
1)I keep reading about the impressive performance of the wide receiving corps. I’m still quite skeptical. Nic Anderson certainly looks the part and I’m happy to see that Andrel Anthony has provided a potential deep threat but I’m very worried about the losses of Marvin Mims and Brayden Willis (I’m lumping TE’s into the wide receiving room). We need a go to receiver. I still view Farooq as a complimentary piece and am concerned about the remaining options. I remember how hard a time our guys had getting open at various points last season. I hope this doesn’t repeat itself.
2) I remain skeptical about our entire offense in fact with the exception of the quarterback room. Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold look great. However reading between the lines of Gabe Ikards comments about the offensive line, depth will be an issue. He also seems to be concerned about our ability in short yardage situations. It must be said-as much criticism as our offense took last year, by seasons end we had two NFL quality tackles, a salty starting running back (Eric Gray) and a quality number one receiver in Marvin Mims. Those guys will be tough to replace. The running back room is talented but there seems to be concerned about the ability to do the little things like blitz pick-ups.
3)I am hopeful our defense will be much improved. The line backing corp has the potential to be tremendous. Great upgrades in athleticism and depth. Same goes for the secondary. The worry is that our interior defensive line just isn’t wear it needs to be. We have some depth but nobody who really seems to be an NFL talent. We may struggle against teams like Baylor or Texas who have big physical offensive lines. We need to upgrade this before SEC time ASAFP. And we are. I know it’s disappointing about Nwaneri but our recruiting has been salty recently.
4)As guarded as I am about some aspects of the team, it must be said that the downgrade to the schedule is greatly beneficial. No Kansas St. No Texas Tech. Some of the new teams should be formidable (ask Baylor about going to Provo) but we should be favored in all but…maybe one game? Two at the most…
5) Overall I believe that our record will be significantly better than 6-7 but that we are still a couple of years away. I do believe that this coaching staff has clear eyes on what it takes to be SEC ready and is upgrading our talent but it is a process. It is quite evident upon reflection why Lincoln Riley was so adamantly opposed to SEC admission. He would’ve been exposed. Selfishly I’m thrilled that the PAC 12 is falling apart because it will adversely affect USC. Anyway I do remain a believer in Coach Venables and Joe C.
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