I was actually going to start a thread about how dangerous our "O" could be next year. so I will just put it in here.
Ok let me break it down into positions
QB
Zwick - with him we get a kid that should have more confidence coming in this year, more so then last year and will have a chip on his shoulder trying to keep that job, so maybe he could just explode. If his ball wasnt so bad he could really be something great, but his mechanics are not very good. His best pass he threw all year was the long ball in the marshall game for an 80 yd. td. Zwick can really read a defense but that is really about it, but lets remember the line didnt block very well for him in the games he was in there. His couple drawbacks are that he is not very mobile in the pocket to elude the rush and he can't throw a frickin' spiral. I threw one when I was 7. Also the team didnt seem to back him as much as Smith. I think he could really come out and suprise us in the Miami came tho and then what do we do.
with Smith you have a totally different offense. He always knows where #7 is even if he is rolling out, and he can really put pressure on a defense with being able to scramble. He throws the better ball and right now I think he is just there better QB. We will have to wait till spring to really decide.
RB's
Pittman - we have seen some glimpes of what he can do. He can explode to the outside, but he has shown he has some injury problems and likes to spend time in the doghouse. I think we really need him to at least put up 500-600 yds. on the season.
Haw - which he seems to be the favorite right now I believe we have our best situation b/c we will have a decent size back with break away speed. Defenses will have to be good to stop him when running behind our new and improved offense line.
If Mo Wells starts well that means he is one hell of a back to beat out two players that already have time in and he is going to be one hell of a back. I really hope that he gets here and learns the system so that he can log some quality time, b/c he too could be a defensive nightmare. I just have no idea what to expect of him.
OL
The UNIT -
LT - This is up for grabs it could go to Sims, Rehring or Boone. Sims playing here will depend on wheter they like him better at G over another guard or whether they think the line is better with Boone or Rehring here and Sims at guard. If Boone comes in and starts for us our line could be one of the best we have seen here in a long time.
LG - Downing came on at the end of last season and will continue to be a beast for us this season. Don't look for him to come out much.
C - Mangold he has been there for us since his freshmen year and don't look for that to change. He could win some awards next season if we have a good year.
RG - This position goes to Sims, Mitchum, or Datish. See above for Sims. There have been raving reports about Mitchum and not so much about Datish and he had a sub par season last year being replaced by downing. If Mitchum is as good as advertised well then he gets this spot and Sims stays at tackle.
RT - Barton came on the same way that Downing did last season so look for him to stay in a lot also.
I think best scenario is (Boone, Downing, Mangold, Sims, Barton) but I believe it will be (Sims, Downing, Mangold, Mitchum, Barton) which is not bad at all. These guys just need to keep on showing us that cohesion they showed us at the end of last year.
TE's
Hamby - I hope he can have a great year blocking this year, If he could seal the end more often like he did on Mo Halls td run against MSU we will be in great shape. A lot of the reason Flydell could never get outside was because the ends were stimating Hamby at the line. He has great hands and could catch some balls to help out stretching the field.
Hall - This could be the wildcard in our whole offensive scheme. If he can play this position you find me a safety or lb that can cover him. Motion him out and match him up against a 5'10'' safety and can we say touchdown.
Frost - See above with Hall. One of these guys has to step up. It would be the match that starts the bombfire this offense could have.
WR's
MAN O MAN :) WHERE DO I START.
Holmes - Great playmaker as we have seen the last two years he runs great routes and has great speed. He could see a lot of double or a lot of single coverage this year. Depending on who teams want to beat them. Just let me tell you one thing you can put single coverage on him. Just ask Marlin Jackson. Isnt he suppossed to be an NFL corner.
Ginn - He is one in a billion. God I can't stop smiling when I think about the potential this kid has. It is like thinking about Lebron James in basketball. He hasnt even started to reach into his bag of tricks. I mean he is the fastest player I have ever watch be able to display the moves he can. Just watch the clips from last year. I mean on the punt returns those guys are in their lanes he just makes great moves to get by them. He reminds of the kid in grade school that is fast and all the slow white kids are trying to two hand tag him. Man just think about when they start double teaming him. Leaving open Holmes. Or vice versa. I also believe by the end of the year Lyons will be lining up on the outside and Ginn and Gonzo will be in the slots.
Gonzo - Great speed. Think Brandon Stoakley of the Colts, but faster. He will line up against lb's and safeties and they won't be able to stop him from getting open.
Lyons - Man would I love for him to step up and be able to play wide across from Holmes and have Ginn in the slot with gonzo in the other slot or Hall or Frost at Te. OMG.
Jordan - don't really know what to expect we will see come spring. Same with the frosh but we will see in the fall.
Ok so anyone with a defensive scheme to stop this offense can let me know. I will just give you a couple of examples.
Our lineup is
QB - Smith RB - Haw Wr's - Holmes, Ginn, Gonzo, Te - Hall.
You try playing a base 4-3.
couple scenarios:
1. man 2 man with 2 free. - so holmes and ginn are covered by cb which they can eat alive all day. Gonzo gets a lb or safety which he can eat alive and stretch the field and Hall gets a lb which he can eat alive. It gets even better if they blitz b/c then there is only one free meaning more spaces for our receivers.
2. Then they bring in an extra cb b/c Gonzo is just shredding the lb and ginn and holmes shread single coverage. Then with a nickel package. You are running against 6 in the box. and Haw runs all over the field because there is so many open holes to find. Then they bring the safeties up and bye bye ginn and Holmes.
3. They play a base 4-3 and put zone behind it - Then we find the open spots and pick them apart. run the drags with gonzo and Hall and with speed they make them plays turn into 15 yarders. And if they run cover two you get ginn and Holmes with soft coverage on the outside on there hitches and outs and they can get big gains. causing the lbs to widen out causing the middle of the field to be wide open causing big gains for Hall up the middle. Then they go to nickel and bring in the extra db to try and match up speed wise and we dominate on the ground.
Do you guys see how this will work next year. I have even gotten to the power I formation which we will see alot of and we will have a powerful fb to fill the holes and open up some big ones with Haw and pittmans speed to bust it to the outside and the cb's off because they are scared of the long ball and the safeties staying deep b/c of that too well Haw has a field day with 7 in the box. Or they creep up the safety and have 8 in the box and then you get man coverage with the 6'4'' te on the safety. I will take that match up all day.
Lets not forget about the possibility of having to watch troy Smith from escaping out of the pocket and running for 15 or our trick plays so the ends will have to come up the field causing the middle running lanes to be open.
I think the only thing that keep this offense from being explosive is JT. I agree with the people above that say he calls the plays to the level of skill he has on the field and it don't matter what he calls if it is a simple 5 yd. hitch to Holmes or Ginn, b/c both can go to the house, or a simple off tackle b/c Haw or Pittman can also go to the house. We are just going to have to cherish what we will have this year. Also when we play scUM they might have Brandon Harrison starting and that would be a great time to see Lyons get a couple of Jump Balls.
