Agreed, last nights performance was piss poor. But I believe the reason why so many people are upset is because we are not the precipice of something great, but for whatever reason cannot turn the corner. We are recruiting players that can get the job done, but not all of them are seeing the field. On offense we finally have the coaches and pieces in place to do something great, but we are being handcuffed for whatever reason.
While I don't think the kids should be tweeting their angst, they have every bit the reason to be upset. Why Washington, Bell, Mitchell, Cooper, Jackson, and others can't over take Thorell or Cassidy boggles me. Why Whaley can't unseat Fisher boggles me more.
While playing good in practice is important, it is just practice. Give some guys who have been on the bench the opportunity to go out there and step up. Maybe their gameday instincts will be ridiculously good. Who knows?
But right now our inefficiencies are glaring, and it is time for the coaches to address it.
Throw in Marlowe and why we can't recruit a QB and I'm with you.
We can't recruit a QB because we are too critical on them as fans and media. We scare them.
But all is not lost. While this season looks a little murky. Next season really isn't. If you look at the potential we have next year, its championship caliber. This year's team came in with a lot questions offensively and defensively in the secondary. We have overcome the doubts offensively, but the defensive secondary has fallen well short of what we thought they would be like this year.
But next year breaking it down.
QB - B+ We get Taylor back, another year under Brion Carnes, and hopefully several new QBs to compete
IB - A+ Hopefully Burkhead comes back for his senior year (95% likely), we lose Austin Jones and Gilleylen, maybe Okafur, but have 3 talented sophomores at this point that have game time experience
FB - A- We lose Legate sure, but we have a talent with Marrow and I've seen McDermott and Zimmerer out there too
WR - A- Kinnie and Marlowe are gone. But we 3 outstanding players coming back, Turner, Bell, and Enunwa, and im sure some one else will step up too
TE - A If Cotton and Reed come back, no doubt about it we will be sitting pretty good.
OL - A- Losing Jones, Yoshi and Caputo will hurt, in fact it will take the most hits, but its a good thing we are rotating a bunch of guys around this year. Sirles, Choi, Qvale, Long, Rodrigues, Moore. Not to mention the talent behind them.
DL - B+ Crick and Moore will be big loses, hopefully we retain Meredith. But with Martin, WIlliams, Ankrah and Carter coming back on the end spot, and Steinkuhler, Randle, and Rome. I expect some new faces out there as well, like Todd Peat
and Jay Guy.
LB - C+ This is the only scary part about next season. We lose David. Compton will be alright, but after that is a mystery. Roach could step up, maybe Slaughter and Santos. Fisher has been a letdown this season, hopefully somewhere along the line he snaps back into it.
CB - B+ For the record, i would rank our CB at a C-, and that's only because of Dennard's presence on the field to keep them out of a F. But i believe in the saying what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Our secondary may be getting mugged this season, with the Pelini brothers, a vast improvement can be seen on the horizon. It will start to show during this season.
S - B+ Cassidy will be gone. But these names should scare most QB's next year, Stafford, Osborne, Smith, Jackson and Cooper. Yea there will be shifting around, in fact i would be surprised if two of those names moved to CB next year.
P/K - A We already burned Bondi's redshirt, but Maher is a solid kicker/punter. Sure glad he is a junior this year.
So while things look bleak this year. Next year looks really good. Considering historically what the Pelini's have done with this program in the past 4 years.
