Positiion Concerns and Questions

[Pils86]

Concerns. TE we are young and inexperienced. Kroft leaving early and Marini transferring last year has left us young. Hopefully we can at least get adequate blocking from this group. FB we are relying on an injury prone 6th year player so we need him healthy. I thought Devan Carter was a decent recruit and hopefully he can help or one of the walk ons because Kraut is gone. DT depth is questionable after the Hammer, lots of potential but need more than one to step it up. DB I think we get 4 good starters but depth is a concern, hopefully Hester is ready and others improve.

Interesting that a lot of the concerns are brought on by Florida transfers, Marini, Kraut, Lott, Gross-A and even Intercola may have ended up at DT.

Questions. Who starts at QB. I don't list this as a concern becasue I think we have two good options and having numbers that Nova did last year is not too much to ask. Laviano showed poise I thought. I would have liked Bimonte to stay around for insurance but I can't blame him for leaving. RB who starts and can carries be distributed to keep everyone happy? WR who becomse the number 2? Lost of options, especially with the 5th year from TCU.

No real question or concerns at OL and LB.

 

[RUBOB72]

We have at least two TE's who played last season along with Tyler Kroft...would have been nice to have Kroft as a senior but life goes on...we have several other options on the table...Quite honestly it is no exaggeration young Mr. Kraut was way out of shape from the time he arrived ...looked pudgy and soft in the drills I witnessed several days...Burton was his personal escort ...Potential is a wonderful thing it is frustrating ...hopefully Kraut latches on and has a great college career...Kraut was not going make us better in 2015...Agree Carter is an X factor but Bergen is better than you think...seems to be "healthy " and hopefully can be used with a couple other young ones...DT depth is not what it could have been had Stephenson stayed ...again we have several interchangeable DE who can help...this is what makes for a interesting spring and fall camp...QB will work itself out ....I not sure we rule anyone in or out yet... Mike Bimonte was NEVER going to line up under or in the shotgun...It doesn't matter who starts at RBbut I would hope Paul James is 100% by September...We will need all of them...WR is supposed to be weak...with Carroo, Patton, Agudosi, "The Florida Flash " Janarion Grant, TCU transfer Cam White ( who isn't coming to sit) ....last but not least Ruthann Peele who proven he can be a dangerous weapon...OL will be interesting though I don't see us as in dire straits as some predict...DL could be very good as well as LB core and secondary...thinking 7-5 regular but with some luck and staying relatively injury free 8-4 plus a bowl win...This is what's nice about pre-season speculation on the fans part.

 

[withoutregard]

OFF: QB:feel like we will be okay, just a gut call until spring, however the most critical position (obviously) RB:feel good, no concerns, FB:great summary by OP, for me a concern, but if necessary can find a work around, TE:last year we didn't utilize this position, and I believe our new OC wants to use this position, I just don't see the horses, biggest position red flag but like FB, might find work around if necessary, WR:need the depth and need to stay healthy, another gut call but I'm worried here from #2-down, OL:no worries if stay healthy, may prove to be our strength, along with RB, which should help QB

DEF:DB:okay with, except depth, therefore must stay healthy, LB:feel good about them, have a little depth, wish we had more,DL:, okay with edge guys, need one or two to step up for depth, but okay, however the OP hit it at DT, there is only one guy I trust, this is a big area of concern, we can't get our asses kicked again in the run game

SPECIAL:kicking (P&K) must improve, and need to get the RU special team/big play swagger, yes we blocked some kicks last year but we need the return game back, especially with a kid like grant

 

[Scarlet4ever]

Do I follow the same team as you guys?

Behind QB, OL has to be our biggest concern. We are replacing 3 starting OL this year off of an OL that was deemed thin last year. This year, we might have 10 OL in the spring.

LB is also a concern because of depth issues. Hopefully Isaiah Johnson and Kaiwan Lewis can have a positive impact on the LB position.

 

[seels2662]

OK its odd on how much we differ here. Let me add my 2 cents:

Offense...

QB:Rettig is the heir apparent here, I guess its a concern now, but I think we will find out by spring if this is an issue.

OL:we lost three people, but there is a bunch of talent to replace them. I guess we will have to wait and see. The biggest concern is at center, where it sounds like we are moving Muller there even though he has never really played the position in a game.

TE:Even though we lost Kroft, I am not as concerned at TE as you would think, simply because we have sooooo many options you would have to figure one of the 7 or 8 in the depth chart will step up and be adequate. Once again I think this gets answered by the spring.

FB:Big concern here, so much so that I think there is a chance that we employ a H back more this season or 5 wide and not even have a FB in the lineup much of the time.

RB:Deepest position and in terms of number of players who have started for us we may be deeper at RB than anyone in the B1G.

WR: To me there is zero zero concern. So many options and when you have a definitive #1 in Carroo its just a matter of who plays alongside him.


Defense....

DL: Zero concern about the ends. Lots of depth, plus Ford comes in who supposed to be ready to play already. Hamilton will be there all the time at one tackle. The biggest question is the nose. If we figure out the nose this defense may end up better than the 2012 and 2006 defenses. Its that good.

LB: We lost one in Snyder, but we gain a 5th year senior and a talented JUCO, plus if Gopre makes it he supposed to be ready to play already. Not to mention the backups from last year gain a year of experience and will help in depth like Nash and Taylor. This is a hell of a group. Not only is this not a concern but this could end up the strength of the defense.

CB: Boy do I love the CBs this year. Both Boggs and Barnwell showed us last year that they can play at a high level. The issue is both of those kids were contantly injured and we couldn't get them on the field at the same time. Now we add Austin, who not only is supposed to be ready to play from day one but also could be a true lockdown corner. Add the kids who play behind them like Cioffi who has proven himself and Adams who is supposed to be pretty good and this is a now a big time strength and will be fun to watch this year.

S:Alot of people has said alot of great things about Hester. I guess this is the same as the QB we will find out in the spring if this is a concern or not. There are alot of options at the other safety slot, including those who have already played like Stephenson and Jacobs. I wouldn't call it particularly a strength but led by Hester this group should be pretty damn good.

 

[LotusAggressor]

This season is all about the trenches. The OL and DL were exposed and overmatched against the better B1G offensive and defensive lines.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Dpgru]

I can't agree with lotus more about the OL and DL. I think our skill positions are good enough to compete but we need significant improvement up front on both sides of the ball. All college teams lose players and need to replace people every year. RU is replacing three OL and was overmatched in several games so that is where the season hinges as I see it.