Originally posted by JacketFanPCB:
I think if the offensive line can come together and play effectively and consistently we could have at least 8 wins. They are the key. I feel like the defense will do markedly better than last year and the skill positions will fall into place. The QB race is not as big a deal as it is being made out to be. We have two great QB's to give the ball to and an EXCELLENT offensive coordinator. Offense will do fine IF and only if the line can play CONSIDERABLY better than last year.
NOW, if the DEFENSIVE line and secondary can show the SAME improvement mentioned above, then we could do GREAT things and maybe win 10 or more games.
<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">To me, the key to this team is defensive improvement over last year. I think CG sees it that way as well, as he said when hired that he'd let BOB run things offensively and he'd concentrate on defense...not an exact quote, but words to that effect.
You said that you think the defense will improve. I hope you're right, and I think you're right. Daryl Smith being healthy will go a long way to improving our defense. I'd really like to see more dominating play from our D-line this year. Our DT's are the key. They need to wreak havoc in the middle and take some pressure off of Gathers and the LB's. I hear that Hobie is finally starting to look comfortable playing from a 3-point stance. This bodes well for our D, if we can get a good pass rush from both sides. Last year, Rogers did not provide a strong pass rush on a consistent basis.
Our LB's are the strength of our defense, IMO. These guys are a year older and a year wiser. We'll need them to be the anchor again. I just hope they can stay away from the injuries.
I think our secondary must step up this year. It appears that they will receive better coaching than in the past. Tenuta works wonders with DB's at his other jobs...hopefully, he'll do the same here. We've got Hester, Poree and Jonathon Cox back at corners. Rhino did some awesome things this spring and might show up more this year in nickel and dime coverage. I hope Poree gets his confidence back. Last year, he seemed to lose confidence and then was benched. The previous coaching staff couldn't push the right buttons with him. Maybe, Tenuta can. Our big loss from last year in the secondary was Chris Young. Muyres and Collins return as safeties. Didn't Landry get shifted to safety? Do we have the depth and speed we need in our defensive backfield? I'm wondering on this issue. I think we do, but the key will be coaching. If Tenuta can push the right buttons, I think we have the talent to perform well...especially on those dreaded 3rd and long situations where O'Leary defenses seemed to fail so often.
