Offensive depth and talent next year...really like what we have coming back!

[Mesaclone1]

C Farniok/Tautolo
G Tuftee/Dika
G Gannon/Omoile or Loth
T Burris/Graham/
T Bykowski/Lichtenberg

That bunch may lack a superstar like Osemele, but it is full of consistent lunch pail type guys who are going to make solid improvements from this year to next. FYI, not sure if I have the young guys slotted correctly....Dika, Loth, Graham and Omoile...as the may get plugged in according to need along the line. Farniok, in fact, may become a real "star" at center...add a few pounds of muscle on him and he's gonna be a great one. I love Hicks and Osemele, but dang those guys get a lot of holding and motion penalties at inopportune moments...I look for our O-Line next year to be every bit the equal, and likely an improvement, over this year's group. Lots of competition and at least 10 quality players who can give meaningful minutes as the season grinds along.

Verdict: Moderate improvement over last season.



TE Hammerschmidt

Mediocre is the best word available to describe our TE production this year...Hammer is like a 6th OL and is a very effective blocker, so that role will be his and he'll likely be the starter next year. But we obviously need more of a receiving/utility threat from this position. Bruns may be the answer and rumor is that he's got some real talent. Another possibility might be moving JaQuarius Daniels to TE...he's already listed with the same physical size/height as Bruns and has the kind of athleticism we need at that spot.

Verdict: Nowhere to go but up. Moderate improvement.




WR Lenz/West
WR Gary/Ecby
WR Bundrage/Horne

Yes, I expect that Bundrage will not only seize a starting spot, but will likely be the number one receiving option on this team. Lenz is Lenz...dependable, consistent and productive. Gary has been VERY impressive recently and seems to hang onto the ball, a rare trait amongst some of our more experienced WR's this season. Horne and West have been very impressive at times this year and should only improve...both catch the ball well and have explosive potential for the big play. All of the top 6 WR's will play a LOT...so who starts is less important than who makes the top 6 or 7. Guys like Young, Lampkin, Jennert (if he's still on the team) and even Quan West should fight for the 7th and 8th spots on this group. The top 6 I list above should be far more consistent and effective than our current crew...our offense requires guys that catch the ball consistently. Speed and breakaway potential are important too but take second seat to reliability in the passing game. Catch the ball!

Verdict: Strong improvement over last season. No superstars, but a bunch of guys with good hands, decent speed & shiftiness, and maximum effort.




RB: Shontrelle Johnson/Devondrick Nealy/James White

I'm still going to remain optimistic on Shontrelle till we know more about how his surgery turns out. The kid is our best combo of speed, shiftiness and vision...very good player. That said, Nealy is rumored to be in a similar vein and we know we can get solid production out of White. Hollis and Standard should vie for some time as well and if the injury bug hits we may need both of them. But we need Shontrelle to be back to his old self if at all possible...OR...for Nealy to be a similar type of back. Without those two, we lack a guy who can really make people miss. So my verdict on the RB position will assume a healthy Shontrelle is in the backfield...or that Nealy is as good as rumor has it.

Verdict: Moderate improvement




QB Barnett/Richardson/Jantz

Barnett is the clear leader going into spring practice...but there WILL be a competition. I think Jantz is the odd man out here, he's just not well suited to our option-read spread IMHO...and I started the year as a strong "Jantz guy". I do think Richardson has a legitimate shot at stealing away the starting job, though its more likely JB holds onto that spot. The competition between two true "option-read" QB's will make both better...and I don't eliminate the possibility of us having a Hardemann/Stanley type of system come next fall. Either way, Barnett is going to be a better player by next fall...possibly significantly better if he can improve his passing accuracy in the off season. The kid transformed our offensive performance to a degree when he took over...but he is not without weaknesses as well, many of which can be mitigated in the off season with some hard work. Bottom line, in an offense that is sometimes very physically punishing on QB's, we have at least 2 solid options...perhaps 3 if Jantz keeps working to improve.

Verdict: Strong improvement as our Frosh QB becomes a veteran Sophomore QB.

[CydeOut]

I would expect Tiller to get his stuff together and be in the mix at WR.

[istater7]

No mention of Jeff Woody!?!

[EYEoftheSTORM]

the last few games Jeff Woody has proved his worth but the rest of the season he has seemed to not get much at all. Maybe from an uninspired o-line or the quantity of penalties that limited his carries.

I really like what I have seen from Woody and am glad that a power back has been proving effective for us. I think Jeff had a very good YPC yesterday, I would have really liked to have seen him get the hand off on that 4th and 2 yesterday.

[Mesaclone1]

Absolutely right...neglected to mention Woody! He is a great role player and brings a dimension none of our other backs possess. That said, he's a situational guy rather than our "every down" guy...but he is definitely worthy of mention AND kudos. He will be an important part of our offense in short yardage and other "role" situations.

[Cyclone711]

I'm hoping for a good competition at QB between Barnett/Richardson/Rohach.

[swarthmoreCY]

No mention of Jeff Woody!?!

Plus, Hollis and Standard will play at RB before Nealy.

Given JB's running ability, as many backs as we have, and traditional struggles at WR, I hope Herman modifies the offense.

[Mesaclone1]

Plus, Hollis and Standard will play at RB before Nealy.

Given JB's running ability, as many backs as we have, and traditional struggles at WR, I hope Herman modifies the offense.

Not sure why you'd say this...Hollis has looked "OK" but nothing off the charts in his time this year (one very nice run through a HUGE hole at Ttech)...and the "whispers" I've heard are hyping Nealy more than Standard though both are said to be good players. You make your statement very "matter of fact", do you have some good inside information on these guys or are you just speculating?

[isuno1fan]

I don't think Nealy will be a true RB. I see him more in the mold of West.

[Istate]

OL...step back, no way are we a better ol next year
TE...doesn't matter
WR...better overall. Gary (if available) will be very good next year.
QB...about the same. JB will always struggle with accuracy and teams will have tape on him next year
RB...better. White is decent. Hopefully, SJ makes it back as he's still the best back on the team

The key will be if our WR's mature quickly enough. Money made most of our big plays this year. The OL will have games where we'll be completely out-classed, but they will be competitive against others. I really hope JB can get more comfortable in the passing game because I'm not sure the rushing attack will be as effective next year. Heck, I'm going to refocus on getting the W next week and winning our bowl game before getting to much into 2012.

[swarthmoreCY]

Not sure why you'd say this...Hollis has looked "OK" but nothing off the charts in his time this year (one very nice run through a HUGE hole at Ttech)...and the "whispers" I've heard are hyping Nealy more than Standard though both are said to be good players. You make your statement very "matter of fact", do you have some good inside information on these guys or are you just speculating?

I heard a lot of "whispers" about Hollis his redshirt year as well. Combine that with "whispers" that Nealy has been getting reps as at the slot, and I see the bigger Hollis getting more carries (unless SJ and White get hurt). Back in fall camp, I know Standard would have played before Nealy.

Redshirting freshmen get hyped every year. Hard to know if it will amount ot anythign the following season.

[CyForPresident]

OL will be better just by losing Hicks and KO. Those guys get so many false starts that they have killed or negatively impact 30-40% of the drives all season.

[swarthmoreCY]

OL will be better just by losing Hicks and KO. Those guys get so many false starts that they have killed or negatively impact 30-40% of the drives all season.

Wishful thinking.

[Lanny]

I really hope that with all talent at RB that one or two of the shifty running backs move to WR to give more big play ability - we need more shiftiness at WR and have lots at RB.

[CYKOFAN]

It would be nice if Daniels could put on some weight, learn to block, and become a tight end. But I could also see him develop into a big and fast receiver in the mold of a Larry Fitzgerald (not saying he will ever be that good, but he has awesome potential). I've only seen Nealy play once in the pre-season scrimmage, but I'm with those that think he's too good not to get on the field someplace. He looks like our most explosive runner, whether as a back or slot receiver. And I think the competition between Barnett and Richardson will be fierce, with maybe both getting their opportunities early to see who gets the job. Or as Mesaclone1 mentioned, a Hardeman/Stanley situation might work well. Lots of exciting young players come into the picture next year.