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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Jul 8, 2005 7:58:08 GMT -5
I woke up in a cold sweat last night when it struck me the 2366 rushing yards from 2004 just graduated! Obvioslu the complexion of the offense will change given the losses at RB and the loss of 3 OL. Any clue as to who will step up at RB? Are they counting on Grieser to play right away?
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Post by Sly Fox on Jul 8, 2005 9:46:22 GMT -5
My guess is that we will be depending on the JUCO kid from Cali named Rajive Otah until one of the freshman recruits establishes himself in camp and the Concord game as the most promising back. Whether it be Greiser or one of the other fish.
At O-line, we'll simply need one of the other guys who was in the rotation last year to show improvement. We do have a JUCO who played his freshman year for the SC Gamecocks who I assume will immediately step in and fill one of the holes.
Obviously, both of these positions are MAJOR concerns considering our losses. But let's face it, injuries kept most of our backs & linemen off the field last fall. So the backups on the line should've gotten plenty of reps onfield.
And other than learning to block for the first time in their lives, RB is the easiest place for a freshman to come in and play other than kicker or punter. So we'll take some lumps early on but I have a feeling we'll be OK.
My guess is we are heaving the ball all over the place at UConn unless this JUCO turns out to be a jewel.
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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Jul 8, 2005 9:57:06 GMT -5
Great points. FYI I think playing WR is the easiest to adapt as a frosh. All you need is to get your pre-snap coverage read and run the right conversion route based on coverage. RB's need to know the blocking schemes (though most everything now days is zone blocking) so they know the cuts and cutbacks. RB's also need to know pass protections and blitz pick ups as well so hopefully these kids will be quick learners or we condense the offensive package a bit until they get their feet wet.
Great points by you though. I just wish our schedule was lighter on the frint end so these kids could play their way into things.
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Post by Sly Fox on Jul 8, 2005 10:03:50 GMT -5
I'll take your experience as a coach on the difficulties of freshman adjustment.
And keep in mind its possible we have picked up a I-A transfer this summer (or we may still). If I were a I-A o-lineman looking for a place to step right into starting lineup, the Flames would be very attractive. Ditto for RB.
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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Jul 8, 2005 10:26:09 GMT -5
No kidding on the transfers. I hope that is the case.
I wasn't a very good coach so what do I know right!!
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Post by flamesfan710 on Jul 8, 2005 11:14:53 GMT -5
You think that kid Luck will be the starting tight end since my good buddy Jay Cline has graduated (and gotten married actually from what Sam Gado told me in convo back in May)
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Post by coastal89 on Jul 8, 2005 15:27:09 GMT -5
I think you'll be pleased with Steven Sene, the transfer, on OL. He is huge and proformed surprisingly well as a Freshman at Carolina. I was hopeing that he would choose Coastal so we could have filled one of the holes that we have because of graduations.
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Post by Stevev on Jul 8, 2005 19:10:15 GMT -5
I'm not disappointed at all with the losses due to graduation. What we had in there last year wasn't good enough anyway so I think that change in the lineup can be for the better if some of the young and new players can step it up. As far as the offense went last year we ran the ball all over the weaklings on our schedule but couldn't give any of the good teams on our schedule much of a game due to being so one dimentional and with the passing game so out-of sync. The type of offensive system we have tends to favor the short passing game with the running game as a complement to set up the pass.
As far as personnel is concerned we definetly lack depth on the offensive line for what I can see on the roster. Steve Sene will be a big help but we would have to depend on some true freshmen to play right away. It looks like Chris Renick or Josh Weaver look like the best of the bunch on paper. We can use a 1A transfere in a big way here. The running back position is up to the newcomers. They all have some good credentials. Some of the young wide receivers need to step it up and look for Jackson, Turner, or Edwards to have their chances early on. Luck should start at tight end due to his size. Hopefully the changes will work out for the better.
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Post by Sly Fox on Jul 8, 2005 21:04:43 GMT -5
Its asking an awful lot for true freshman offensive linemen to step in and play right away. Particularly if we are utilizing many zone blocking screens. Not many high school kids come in with the technical knowledge necessary to handle to college-level schemes.
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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Jul 9, 2005 6:22:06 GMT -5
It's a big adjustment for the OL especially the different fronts and blitz packages they'll see. Sly - I just agreed with you!
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Post by Sly Fox on Jul 9, 2005 8:20:49 GMT -5
Careful, you're starting to scare me.
BTW, thanks for the insight C89. It provides some slight assurance for us considering our gaping holes.
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Post by PAmedic on Jul 9, 2005 11:34:17 GMT -5
ok- I'll disagree a little to make this interesting. I think the RB pos will be easily picked up by my boy from Pennridge. Blocking schemes notwithstanding, quick feet and raw talent will balance out inexperience at this level (1AA). the kid is quick and STRONG- get him into the secondary and smaller LB or safeties WILL have trouble w/ him. I HOPE.
the issue is gonna be the OL.
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