First of all I would like to say that I think Dabo continues to do a tremendous job recruiting. The young talent he his bringing in is starting to show itself. Last year they win their conference title and I think its a possibility again this season. This season I think this team is poised to be among the 3 best offensive teams in all of football.
QB - Solid. Taja did throw 2 picks. One was a bad throw and one was a tipped ball. But overall his passes looked crisp and on target. Plus he knows where he's going with ball. What I mean is the guy understands his reads and knows where the check downs are. Grade A-
RB - This group is really solid. Ellington didn't play. No need for our star running back to play to be honest with you. D.J Howard and Mike Bellamy are good backs who fit very well in this offense. D.J has a relentless style of running I think most people can appreciate. Bellamy is a home run hitter. If this kid can hang onto the football he WILL see more playing time. I think his ability to grasp the offense at times has really held him back plus Morris cant trust him in pass coverage. We also have this kid named Zac Brooks, Wow, does thisw kid pass the eye test or what. But, I think he will have to work his way up to see some playing time. Overall this group is deep. Grade A
OL - This is where I think the rubber meets the road with this team. Will the O-line be the dominate group they can be? I think they have more talent and depth now then in the past 2 years, but I'm still waiting to see these guys dominate up front. They Pass block really good. The run block poor. Cant understand why it is. I know during the spring game you will see a mix of players in different combinations, but I just dont see a group yet who are mean enough to take over a game. Grade C
WR & TE - If there is a better group in the country, please someone point them out. Im serious. I watched these guys put on a show. Sammy Watkins is the best WR in the country bar none. Nuke Hopkins would easily be a #1 guy on most teams. He has really improved IMO. If I had to pick a guy who I think improved the most over the spring and winter, it's him. Bryant and Peake are two legit 6'5 receivers who can go up and get the ball. Plus Bryant runs a 4.3 40. How do you defend all of these guys? We lose All- American TE Allen, but I think Brandon Ford fits nicely in this offense. A 6'4 TE who has speed and strength fits well in any offense to be honest with you. Overall, this is best group on the team. Grade A+
DL - This group has the talent to keep right in track of last years team. But they have to prove it. The biggest concern is DT. They have several guys ready to replace but none claiming the position. When you have a group by committee, that usually means you dont have " A " guy. Grade C+
LB - I think this group has really made the biggest improvements as a whole. There experience should really help core the Zone style of defense Brent Venables likes to run. I would really like to see Tony Steward come back strong and help with depth of these guys. Overall B+
DB - This group IMO looked bad last year. Problem was they were consistently out of position. Again, I think that Venables style of defense should help these guys more. They have speed and size to compete with anyone, problem has been the Man to Man press scheme former DC Steele loved to run. I think this group has the potential to better that the grade im going to give them, but for now..... Grade C+
I know its early. But this is where we ALL learn more and more about each others teams. If any of you have some updates on your team...please share.