Top 5 Things about your team in '06

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh
Top 5 Strengths
1. Offensive line- Lehigh returns 3 starters as well as 2 guys who have played significant time due to injuries. Lehigh brought in some very good linemen in this years recruiting class which will help bolster the depth. Also FB Greg Fay might sneak onto some post season All American teams, he's that good.
2. Defensive Line- Led by potential AA Royce Morgan the DL returns he as well as Paul Fabre and two other players who saw significant time last year. Morgan moving to the DE position should help him utilize his speed, he's already getting looks from the NFL as an Rover or OLB. There is also good depth at this position.
3. Coaching- I still believe Lembo was good a coach but i think the switch has brought a breath of fresh air to the team. If Coen can instill more mental toughness and a meaner attitude, two things he's noted for, the shortcomings in key situations the last couple of years should be avoided.
4. Sedale Threatt- Some believe the loss of WR's will hurt Sedale, i think they're crazy. He'll be working behind an experiences offensive line as well as an experienced backfield with Thompson and Fay. Coens offense should also curtail the gunslinging we saw last year as well. Lehigh does return their top 2 TE's as well as a good wr in Lee Thomas.
5. Schedule- The schedule sets up very well. They should be favored in every game until their annual showdown with Colgate and they might even be considered "favorites" in that as it's at home.

Top 5 Weaknesses
1. LB- Lehigh lost two great LB's in Graziani and Purdy who were key members for the last 3 years. The switch to a 3-4 will also test this position. I do believe Mohlers move from starting DL to LB will be a huge help. He's 6'3 250 and has a rediculous 40 time, if i find it i'll post it. Other than that the rest of the group is going to be made up of guys who played some but not much. They are talented but raw with the exception of Mohler.
2. WR- The loss of Gerran Walker is going to hurt no question about it and Kovas and Zeblium were both solid palers. However, outside of losing Walker Lehigh didn't really lose much other then experience. Porter never really lived up to potential by dropping numerous passes and Thomas is just as good as Zeblium and Kovas IMO. Lee Thomas also tied for the team high in receptions last year. Threatts athletic ability should also help bail some of the fresh faces out early in the season. Thompson is also an effective reciever out of the backfield, a lot better than Rath was.
3. Secondary- Their secondary is much like Notre Dame's. They return a lot of talent but that talent got torched a lot last year. However, as i believe ND's group will be a year wiser from last years USC and Ohio State games i think Lehigh's group will be a year wiser from last years Lafayette and Delaware games. The ability of the DL to put pressure on the QB should also help more.
4. RB- This really isn't that big of a concern. Rath was a nice player but nothing jaw dropping and he did have the propensity to fumble a lot. Thompson is a lot like Jermaine Pugh and hopefully he can have a season like Pugh had in '03. Pastore the transfer from Kent St. will provide a true between the tackles back much like Dave Wilson was.
5. Schedule- Even though it should be an advantage on paper there has to be some mental hurdles to overcome. This group of Sr's, has failed to notch a signiture win. They've had some nice wins over Colgate and Harvard but none over an A-10 school and we don't have to mention the last two against that team from Easton. Lehigh should beat Nova and role through their OOC games but past history shows that hasn't been the case, let's hope #3 on the good side changes that.

[ncbears]

Top 5 stregths.


1. Our RB corps is going to be awesome this seaon. We've got Andre Wilson and Patrick Ealy coming back which will be our best weapons. Also, Jahir Waterman can explode too. We're probably deeper then any team in the Big Sky at this position.

2. Coaching Staff. Almost entirely brand new. It's just a matter of time before everything starts to gell togethor.

3. QB position. We've got a JC stud coming in to compete with our returning guys from this season. I think we're deep at this position.

4. Schedule. I think it's probably one of the best in all of 1AA. None of our OOC teams are from 1A or D2. A very solid, challenging schedule.

5. Our offensive line should be solid. Not great, but solid.

Top 5 weaknesses.

1. Our DB's We've lost two very good seniors in Greg Gebhardt and Reed Doughty. We're very young and unproven.

2. Defensive line. I think we're improved their but still have some problems.

3. Coaching staff. Although I put this is a strength too, it could take some time to make everything gel with an almost entirely new staff and system.

4. LB's. We lost our best because he transferd to Colorado. That's a huge blow to our already struggling defense.

5. Special teams. We have a transfer pk from Nebraska who had a great freshman season but struggled the past two seasons for the Corn. ALso, our punter needs to get MUCH better.

[WMTribe90]

Top 5 Strengths

1) Deepest and potentially best LB corps in recent history. Six guys with significant starting experience. Two all-confernce performers and two other with all-conference potnetial.

2) Coaching

3) QB - Three deep and two with starting experience. Phillips will get chance to run with starting job to start the season. Big mobile QB with good arm strength. Should benefit greatly from an extra year in laycock's system.

3) RBs - Two proven backs that compliment each other well. Brooks is returning all-conference performer, very steady back, good blocker and receiver out of the backfield.

4) WR/TE - All conference caliber TE, good blocker with size, athletic. Good mix of of experienced and rookie receivers. Good depth and enough speed to stretch the field.

Weaknesses

1) DL - Has to be the biggest concern coming into the season. Not a lot of depth. Need some young guys to step up.

2) Safeties - Lost both starters. Not a lot of experience or depth, but a good bit of potential.

3) Place kicking - WM has put together an amazing string of all-conference/all-american kickers going back to Steve Christie. May end up starting a true freshman brought in on full scholarship (rare for WM).

4) Schedule - ACC opponent UMD, UD, Umass and JMU on the road.

5) OL - ended last year poorly, but I expect Coach Solderitch will maximize the talent. Lots of younger guys fighting for spots. I think the OL may end up a strength (or at least not a weakness) early into the season.

All in all it looks like a rebuilding year, but there's enough talent there for a playoff run if it comes together and leadership emerges.

[slycat]

top 5 strengths

1. coaching - Bailiff turned the team around and will continue his revival of the program.
2. the secondary is returning. i really like musgrove at cornerback.
3. RBs - Jolly returning as leading rusher, plus the addition of younger fast backs.
4. schedule - easy OOC with only one 1A and DII.
5. LB - Castillo is one of better returning players.

top 5 weaknesses

1. loss of senoirs - we will have a lot of younger players this year. though many played last season.
2. special teams - loss of our punter, place kicker, and deep snapper could prove difficult to replace.
3. WR - younger group of players.
4. QB - replacing nealy will be tough. as much as i like wasson his lack of size could be a problem.
5. schedule - tough road schedule with trips to shsu, mcneese, and nwst.

[kats89]

Strengths...

Secondary.. Deepest part of our 2006 team. Fast and physical is the description of this bunch

Special Teams.. SHSU "block party" will be back and is always a strength of our team. SHSU special teams have blocked 83 kicks over the last 14 years, that's almost a 6 blocks per season average.

Offensive Line.. 4 starters return from last year's team. Although they are not the biggest OL, they are consistent and will play a big part in this teams success as long as they stay healthy.

Wide Receivers.... This bunch will turn some heads if we can get consistent QB play. These kids definitely have the size, speed and hands to make a difference. Our starting WR corp is 6-3,6-2,6-4 respectively and are all had a lot of playing time last year. Along with the recievers, I think we have one of the deepest group of tight ends as well.

Returning Class... We return 16 of 22 starters from 2005 (8 offense/8 defense).

Weaknesses...

Schedule... 4 of our first 5 games are on the road with trips to SMU, Univ of Texas, Missouri State and Northwestern State. We need to go 2-2 on this road trip to have any shot at a winning season and possible chance at a run for conference. Anything less and we are done.

Coaching Staff.. i am only putting them here because last year they really made a lot of bonehead decisions and looked very overwhelmed coming from Div II Tarleton St. However, Coach Whitten was successful at Tarleton going 45-23 in 6 seasons and turning around a program that had been in the Lone Star Conference doormat for years. This is a critical year for him and is staff.

Running Back... We lost two senior RB's that rotated playing time all four years they were there. We have one Jr, one Soph and 5 Freshman at this position. Lacking experience is a conservative way of putting it.

Defensive Line.. Lacking depth and experience at this position. We could have the pieces in place,but it will take time for them to gel.

Quarterback.. I once considered this position a strength of our squad, but since no one has stepped forward as the clear cut choice as the starter, we obviously have a weakness at this position.

i hope we can suprise some people this season. Coming out of spring practice, the coaching staff was VERY excited and looking forward to the fall campaign. We will see.

[MountaineerDrive]

Top 5 Strengths
1. 6 home games at The Rock
2. A deep secondary and linebacking corps
3. A good offensive line
4. A deep receiving corps
5. A solid and potentially excellent backfield
Top 5 Weaknesses
1. The target on our chest being defending national champs
2. Our own overconfidence being defending national champs
3. A tough first two games that could set us back
4. A small defensive line (never hurt us too bad last year)
5. Special teams were unspectacular and there is no reason to think they'll be much better this year.

[blackfordpu]

Strengths...

Secondary.. Deepest part of our 2006 team. Fast and physical is the description of this bunch

Special Teams.. SHSU "block party" will be back and is always a strength of our team. SHSU special teams have blocked 83 kicks over the last 14 years, that's almost a 6 blocks per season average.

Offensive Line.. 4 starters return from last year's team. Although they are not the biggest OL, they are consistent and will play a big part in this teams success as long as they stay healthy.

Wide Receivers.... This bunch will turn some heads if we can get consistent QB play. These kids definitely have the size, speed and hands to make a difference. Our starting WR corp is 6-3,6-2,6-4 respectively and are all had a lot of playing time last year. Along with the recievers, I think we have one of the deepest group of tight ends as well.

Returning Class... We return 16 of 22 starters from 2005 (8 offense/8 defense).

Weaknesses...

Schedule... 4 of our first 5 games are on the road with trips to SMU, Univ of Texas, Missouri State and Northwestern State. We need to go 2-2 on this road trip to have any shot at a winning season and possible chance at a run for conference. Anything less and we are done.

Coaching Staff.. i am only putting them here because last year they really made a lot of bonehead decisions and looked very overwhelmed coming from Div II Tarleton St. However, Coach Whitten was successful at Tarleton going 45-23 in 6 seasons and turning around a program that had been in the Lone Star Conference doormat for years. This is a critical year for him and is staff.

Running Back... We lost two senior RB's that rotated playing time all four years they were there. We have one Jr, one Soph and 5 Freshman at this position. Lacking experience is a conservative way of putting it.

Defensive Line.. Lacking depth and experience at this position. We could have the pieces in place,but it will take time for them to gel.

Quarterback.. I once considered this position a strength of our squad, but since no one has stepped forward as the clear cut choice as the starter, we obviously have a weakness at this position.

i hope we can suprise some people this season. Coming out of spring practice, the coaching staff was VERY excited and looking forward to the fall campaign. We will see.

I have to say that the QB situation is my biggest worry. Everything else has a way of falling into place but if we can't get a consistent QB so the other players can get into a grove, we will be done before we start.

[PMB4Life]

TOP
1-Eric Sanders at QB. He is a stud and no one who has played against him would disagree.
2-O-line. They are big, fast and experienced. A guy like Sanders having plenty of time to throw will give teams fits.
3-Corey Lewis at HB. From what I saw last year he can really jet. He should step up right away.
4-Secondary. We return our core, and teams will try to have to run on us.
5-D-line... they will get a lot of penetration which will make things a lot easier on our unproven LB corps.

WORRIES:
1-As said before, our linebackers will likely be decent, but we lost a lot of oomph from last year. Teams were unable to run on us because of our backers, and I can only hope that we just reloaded.
2-WRs. We lost Jamie Goodwin and Patrick Hunter, two very key deep threats. Johnny Gray and Curt Bradley will be solid, but I'm not sure how we'll be able to throw the deep ball unless that guy from USC is coming.
3-We have Southern Illinois on the road, and they're pissed.
4-Besides Lewis, I'm not sure how well we'll be doing running the ball. I'm confident that our offense will be our strong point, but Lewis HAS to stay healthy.
5-I havent heard much from our fullbacks and tight ends, but I hope that's just because they are getting the job done and not because they are a liability.

GENERAL COOL STUFF:
1-I think we could put 30 points up on Iowa State with their less-than-impressive D. The issue will be stopping a solid offense in Ames.
2-I like our OOC schedule. It's not strong, but it's regionally interesting.
3-We will have a lot of butts in the seats due to renewed interest in UNI football due to our run last year. Unfortunately, Iowa (grumble) will always be like a shadow. But oh well. F them anyway.
4-Missouri State is coming into town for Homecoming with Terry Allen. It should give a jolt to "Bear Week,' something missing for a long time.
5-WE RULE.

[paytonlives]

STRENGHT
#1 LEX HILLIARD
#2 DEFENSE
#3 Special Teams
#4 Swogger
#5 WR are one year older

WEEKNESS
The only weekness is the offensive playcalling. If the O coordinator does not open it up- I think the Griz fans will riot.

[seantaylor]

STRENGHT
#1 LEX HILLIARD
#2 DEFENSE
#3 Special Teams
#4 Swogger
#5 WR are one year older

WEEKNESS
The only weekness is the offensive playcalling. If the O coordinator does not open it up- I think the Griz fans will riot.

How would that be a stength. He hasn't played a down of college football yet.

[Grizo406]

How would that be a stength. He hasn't played a down of college football yet.

I always thought I had a lock on things like "Pulling Stuff Out of Your Ass", and "Responding to Threads That I Shouldn't", but I seem to have made a mistake...

Swogger never played a down of college football, huh?

What about the 93 straight passes without an interception he threw between the fourth quarter at UNM and the Oregon game? Hit 12 of 19 passes for 196 yards against Idaho and four TD passes, all in the first half?

Not too bad for someone that's never played a down of college football, I'd say, and I'm glad he's a Griz!

The Eagle Nation must be proud.

[Ronbo]

Swogger was the Starter for Washington State in 2004 and lost his starting spot to a Freshman when he was injured. The arguments on the WSU message boards indicate Swogger and Brink were dead even talent-wise. The Coaches stayed with Brink because he was a year behind Swogger and they would have him starting a year longer. Can you blame a kid that was a starter in the Pac 10 for transferring when he's warming the bench? He wants to play and play he will.

[kats89]

STRENGHT
#1 LEX HILLIARD
#2 DEFENSE
#3 Special Teams
#4 Swogger
#5 WR are one year older

WEEKNESS
The only weekness is the offensive playcalling. If the O coordinator does not open it up- I think the Griz fans will riot.

The only weekness is that? come on let's be realistic here.:rolleyes:

[paytonlives]

The only weekness is that? come on let's be realistic here.:rolleyes:

Only other poss is that a fairly young O line needs to jell.

But be warned I-AA the Griz are back to normal. 13-2 or 14-1 is VERY attainable.

[CrunchGriz]

The only weekness is that? come on let's be realistic here.:rolleyes:

Most Griz fans acknowledge that predicting the production this year at positions on both lines is still difficult. The Griz lost an all-conference performer in Alan Saenz at NT/DT, and the offensive line has three new starters. As noted elsewhere, UM platoons both lines, so there are quality backups and the players coming back have played quite a bit, so the consensus is that the talent is there--and most think both lines will be better, bigger, and stronger this year with a renewed emphasis on conditioning/weight lifting (new weight lifting coach from Syracuse).

While the comment that the biggest weakness of the Griz is the OC may elicit groans from those outside Montana, the OC does get blamed by Griz fans for most of the Grizzlies' ills these days, whether rightly or wrongly.

With the transfers the Griz got, the team seems good to great in all other areas--honestly (I hope).

[kats89]

Most Griz fans acknowledge that predicting the production this year at positions on both lines is still difficult. The Griz lost an all-conference performer in Alan Saenz at NT/DT, and the offensive line has three new starters. As noted elsewhere, UM platoons both lines, so there are quality backups and the players coming back have played quite a bit, so the consensus is that the talent is there--and most think both lines will be better, bigger, and stronger this year with a renewed emphasis on conditioning/weight lifting (new weight lifting coach from Syracuse).

While the comment that the biggest weakness of the Griz is the OC may elicit groans from those outside Montana, the OC does get blamed by Griz fans for most of the Grizzlies' ills these days, whether rightly or wrongly.

With the transfers the Griz got, the team seems good to great in all other areas--honestly (I hope).

Several key injuries and your season can be done. Believe me, we as Bearkat fans know. I think it was in 2002 after our short playoff run in 2001, we were a walking MASH unit and were actually predicted to be pretty good before the wheels fell off. I am not saying that Montana is not reloaded, because they are normally pretty consistent in the talent level they put on the field, but anything can happen.xcoffeex

[paytonlives]

Several key injuries and your season can be done. Believe me, we as Bearkat fans know. I think it was in 2002 after our short playoff run in 2001, we were a walking MASH unit and were actually predicted to be pretty good before the wheels fell off. I am not saying that Montana is not reloaded, because they are normally pretty consistent in the talent level they put on the field, but anything can happen.xcoffeex

I always like that comeback. Several injuries could happen.

We are talking strength and weaknesses.
THERE IS NO WAY TO GAGE WHO IS OR IS NOT GOING TO GET HURT.
So your statement is true of Every team that has ever played.

BTW Last year I was one of the ones in Griz camp saying 8 wins would be a great year. So I am no means a homer.

[paytonlives]

Most Griz fans acknowledge that predicting the production this year at positions on both lines is still difficult. The Griz lost an all-conference performer in Alan Saenz at NT/DT, and the offensive line has three new starters. As noted elsewhere, UM platoons both lines, so there are quality backups and the players coming back have played quite a bit, so the consensus is that the talent is there--and most think both lines will be better, bigger, and stronger this year with a renewed emphasis on conditioning/weight lifting (new weight lifting coach from Syracuse).

While the comment that the biggest weakness of the Griz is the OC may elicit groans from those outside Montana, the OC does get blamed by Griz fans for most of the Grizzlies' ills these days, whether rightly or wrongly.

With the transfers the Griz got, the team seems good to great in all other areas--honestly (I hope).


Prime example. In the playoff loss to Cal Poly, in the third quarter the Griz had a 7 play drive of which 6 were Lex up the middle and drove down and scored. The next drive with good feild possision a missed pass and a fumble by a guy that should not have even been in. He was a Senior and the coaches threw him a bone. Next drive 3 passes and out.

Bad OC I would say so, In fact I dont think the Griz tried another run up the gut with Lex (or any other RB for that matter) the rest of the game.

This is way the Griz fans will riot if the Offence does not open up this fall.

[seantaylor]

I always thought I had a lock on things like "Pulling Stuff Out of Your Ass", and "Responding to Threads That I Shouldn't", but I seem to have made a mistake...

Swogger never played a down of college football, huh?

What about the 93 straight passes without an interception he threw between the fourth quarter at UNM and the Oregon game? Hit 12 of 19 passes for 196 yards against Idaho and four TD passes, all in the first half?

Not too bad for someone that's never played a down of college football, I'd say, and I'm glad he's a Griz!

The Eagle Nation must be proud.

I meant at Montana, and in their offense.

[VictorG]

Top 5 stregths.


1. Our RB corps is going to be awesome this seaon. We've got Andre Wilson and Patrick Ealy coming back which will be our best weapons. Also, Jahir Waterman can explode too. We're probably deeper then any team in the Big Sky at this position.



Not to dispute your claim but the Griz will be vastly improved in RB depth this year. When Lex goes out for a breather (or the normal rotation) the drop off in talent will not be so evident.

This was one of our weakest areas last year and IMO cost the Griz a game or two. When the Griz tried to run the ball we we're fairly successful as long as Lex was in. When he wasn't in, no running game compounded our problems in the passing game.

[VictorG]

Prime example. In the playoff loss to Cal Poly, in the third quarter the Griz had a 7 play drive of which 6 were Lex up the middle and drove down and scored. The next drive with good feild possision a missed pass and a fumble by a guy that should not have even been in. He was a Senior and the coaches threw him a bone. Next drive 3 passes and out.



I remember this very well. We took over on Offense around the opponents 40 yard line or even better and our 2nd string running back came in. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why Lex wasn't in. Maybe he had one of his migraines or something.

This overall scenario repeated itself many times last year. The Griz would be successful driving the field with Lex running the ball. I remember several long drives last year where we'd be inside the opponents 35 yard line and apparently heading for a score. Then on 3rd and short (1 to 2 yards), they'd take Lex out for a quick breather, run the 2nd string back and we wouldn't get the 1st down!

I don't see this happening so much this year. I like the running backs we have. I think the unit as a whole is vastly upgraded from a year ago.

FYI, I'm giving the OC a do over on last year. Offensively, lack of experience in key positions and mediocre talent in others didn't bode well for our offensive scheme. I think the team did as well as it could have with the cards that were dealt to them.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

Five Positives:

1. All the young guys who had to play last year SHOULD BE bigger, stronger, more experienced and better football players.

2. Omar Cuff

3. Joe Flacco SHOULD be an improvement at the QB position.

4. Transfers Ben Patrick (TE from Duke) and Jason Lilly (WR from BC) SHOULD help and inexperienced recieving corp.

5. Can't possibly have the same injury problems as last year! (looking for some wood to knock on)

Five Negatives:

1. Four of the five positives are more questions than definitives.

2. DL is small and relatively inexperienced. Any power running team may kill us.

3. Play calling needs to improve dramatically.

4. Uncertainty as to how the team will respond to off season adversity.

5. The A-10 will be as tough as ever this year!

[PaladinFan]

FU fans, let me know what you think.

Pluses:
1. Running game: If anyone has a bigger and stronger 1AA backfield, I'd like to see it.

2. Felton: Part of the running game, but he needs his own category.

3. Size: lots of beef at nearly every position. Throwing 6'7 310 lbs Joel Bell in at tackle doesn't hurt either.

4.Linebackers: One heck of a corps. Nearly anyone you put out there would find a starting spot on most SoCon teams. Andrew Jones and co are some absolute studs.

5. Attitude: Furman has lost one home game in 2 years (eventual NC JMU). They have a swagger, expect to win, especially in the shadow of Paris Mountain. There is a big difference between going into a game hoping to win, and expecting to win.


Minuses:
1. The Stars: Lost MLB William Freeman and QB Ingle Martin to graduation. Going to be tough to replace that type of production.

2. D-backfield: Good deal of potential there, but some people are going to have to step in and fill some roles. Andrew Thacker has to have a better year.

3. The last 15 minutes: Furman has a great set of coaches, but I swear we have the hardest daggum time closing out football games. I don't care if we are playing the pop warner team, as long as they are between the lines with a uniform on, pound them. The Paladins will too often take their foot off the gas with a little way to go to the finish line.

4. Special Teams: Killed us last year. Has cost us game after game for several seasons now. Furman, in the last four years, has only been soundly beaten one time (GSU 2002). Quite of their recent losses (and some near losses) were the result of late game mishaps on special teams (see #3). Scott Beckler has the ability, but he's gotta make the kicks.

5. O-line: Gonna have some big mammajammas up there, but the loss of Laggis, Stewart, and Covington will hurt. I have found, though, that the best way to cover up a developing offensive line is to run the stew out of the ball, which is exactly what I think we will be doing. After a few games, they will be fine.

[TxState_GO_CATS!]

I have to say that the QB situation is my biggest worry. Everything else has a way of falling into place but if we can't get a consistent QB so the other players can get into a grove, we will be done before we start.

I think if you guys can just decide to pick ONE QB and stick with it, most of your problems will be fixed. Playing QB carousel is NEVER a good idea (see last year).

[kats89]

I think if you guys can just decide to pick ONE QB and stick with it, most of your problems will be fixed. Playing QB carousel is NEVER a good idea (see last year).

Tell us something we dont know.:bang:

[blackfordpu]

Tell us something we dont know.:bang:

I was thinking the exact same thing. :rolleyes:

[CrunchGriz]

Not to dispute your claim but the Griz will be vastly improved in RB depth this year. When Lex goes out for a breather (or the normal rotation) the drop off in talent will not be so evident.

This was one of our weakest areas last year and IMO cost the Griz a game or two. When the Griz tried to run the ball we we're fairly successful as long as Lex was in. When he wasn't in, no running game compounded our problems in the passing game.

Victor, while I agree that Lex was the motor of the offense last year, I don't agree that the talent level fell so greatly when he left. JR Waller was no slouch during his career at Montana, for example. I think that the offensive scheme and offensive line play hurt UM's running game more than a drop in talent when Lex was out.

UM's offense is not a primarily run-oriented offense, and the passing game stunk last year. Handing the ball to the back either on a huge stretch to the edge or when he's basically at a standstill because the QB is in shotgun is not conducive to big rushing numbers, especially when the defense is keying on the run because they don't respect the pass. Lex got what he got because he's great; JR had a few d-mn good runs, as well.

I do agree that, on paper at least, the Griz look to have improved the corps of RBs. We'll need to see how they all play, though, before we can make a good guess as to how much improved--and as noted above, a lot depends on the maturation of the offensive line.

[golionsgo]

FU fans, let me know what you think.

Pluses:
1. Running game: If anyone has a bigger and stronger 1AA backfield, I'd like to see it.



We'll (Southeastern Louisiana) give you a run for your money. Kendrick Perry (transfer Ole Miss) is listed at 6-2, 220 but is closer to 230. Jay Lucas (transfer Texas A&M) is 5-11, 225, and true freshman Matt Betts is an Ironhead Heyward/Jerome Bettis clone at 5-9, 268. Plus we have last year's starter back (Mario Gilbert) who is 5-11, 212 and another fullback who is 6-1, 221. We went from having one of the thinnest backfields in the country to one of the deepest and strongest overnight.

[Grizo406]

Victor, while I agree that Lex was the motor of the offense last year, I don't agree that the talent level fell so greatly when he left. JR Waller was no slouch during his career at Montana, for example. I think that the offensive scheme and offensive line play hurt UM's running game more than a drop in talent when Lex was out.

Lex got what he got because he's great; JR had a few d-mn good runs, as well.

Great response, CG, and I completely agree on everything you said.

I'm one of the few that was never a fan of JR Waller. Seen him in a ton of practices, and all of the games he played as a Griz. He always seemed to have too big a tendency to run east/west instead of north/south, and tried too hard with the juke move thing. I'd take one Brady Green over three Wallers any day.

He got lucky a few times, and that was good for the Griz, but I was never sold on him as an impact player.

[CrunchGriz]

Great response, CG, and I completely agree on everything you said.

I'm one of the few that was never a fan of JR Waller. Seen him in a ton of practices, and all of the games he played as a Griz. He always seemed to have too big a tendency to run east/west instead of north/south, and tried too hard with the juke move thing. I'd take one Brady Green over three Wallers any day.

He got lucky a few times, and that was good for the Griz, but I was never sold on him as an impact player.

You're right that JR was never the impact player that Lex is, and also on Brady Green--he's all heart. I just remember back in 2002 when the Griz didn't have great talent at RB (no Lex--yet), and JR bailed the Griz out a few times with big plays (the clutch catch and run on the swing pass for a very late game-winning TD against PSU comes to mind).

I think what might also stick in Griz fans' minds about JR are the several times he was handed the ball on delays deep inside enemy territory (a couple of times in the end zone), none of which worked out very well. Those were play call problems, not JR's fault.

From what I'm hearing, Bradshaw has JR's speed (or better) and is bigger. Like I said, on paper it sounds like an upgrade.

[MR. CHICKEN]

STRENGTH: :)

1. OMAR "THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER"
2. HELMET HEAD
3. NEW TUBBY TURF
4. SECTION J
5. UH POTENTIALLY POTENTATE OFFENSE
6. 22K EVERAH DAY
7. KLONDIKE'S & DEER PARK.....ONLY MINUTES AWAY
8. CAN'T FIND OURAH PLAYBOOK
9. NANCY KEELER
10.'NOTHERAH DUKE TRANSFER

WEAKNESS::(

1. EVERAH KICK-OFF IS UH ON-SIDE ATTEMPT
2...SECONDARY HAS BEEN TOASTED MO' TIMES DAN UH TRUCKLOAD O' KRAFT MARSHMALLOWS
3. D-LINE DEPTH
4. PRESS BOXES
5. COACH C...... LEFT FO' HEMPSTEAD
6. WE'RE IN DUH A-10
7. WEIGHT TRAINER NEEDS TA LIGHTEN UP (WE'RE PULLIN' MUSSELLS FASTER DAN UH...ALL YA CAN EAT..."WOODIE'S"...SEAFOOD BUFFET)
8. TUBBY WAS CAUGHT WHIFF SPRAY PAINT...ON MAIN STREET
9. POT PLANTS ON ELKTON ROAD
10.ATHLETIC HIRIN' POLICY

BUK!...BUK!...BUK!...BRRAAAWWWWKKKKK!:twocents:

[VictorG]

From what I'm hearing, Bradshaw has JR's speed (or better) and is bigger. Like I said, on paper it sounds like an upgrade.

Bradshaw is MUCh faster than Waller. If he's not the fastest player on the team he's one of the top 2 or 3 anyway.

I've watched Waller his whole Griz career as well and thank him for everything he has done for and given to the Griz program. However, Bradshaw even with his speed is a power, North and South runner where as previously mentioned, Waller tended to dance to much looking for holes and he didn't posses the power to run over people.

There were many problems with the Griz offense last year and as you mentioned, the line play especially towards the end of the year was not very good. However, Bradshaw is a large upgrade over Waller, and because of his power and speed combination, is a legitimate threat to go the distance every time he gets the ball. Additionally, I've heard that the Iowa State transfer running back is a pretty impressive physical specimen, although I haven't seen him on the field yet. In a few more weeks, I hope to take care of that!

BTW, Brady Green is also one of my favorite players and is all heart as previously mentioned. However, he most likely will be 3rd string RB again this year but is a terror on Special Teams.

[PapaBear]

1, Arel Gordon -- Pound for pound the toughest, quickest, most difficult-to-tackle playmaker in the league. A human highlight film if ever there was one.

2. D-Line -- Big, bad, quick and experienced.

3. Depth -- Talented backups at most positions.

4. Whitcomb -- Hard to beat a 4-year starter at QB.

5. Optimism -- Two great recruiting classes in a row, and lots of young guys who started earning their stripes last year, should mean some fun years ahead for the Black Bears.

Can't wait for Sept 9.

[carney2]

1. THE LOSS OF 27 SENIORS OFF A PLAYOFF TEAM isn't going to be as big a deal as the local press believes. There have been five solid recruiting classes in a row, and there are some talented players to plug into the vacated spots.

2. THE SCHEDULE does not allow time for people to grow into their roles. Last year it took until game 10 @ Holy Cross for the offensive line to come together. No such time luxury this year with a road conference game in week 2 and a tough OOC opponent in week 3.

3. BRAD MAURER has established himself as a solid QB. I look for him to have an All-(fill-in-the-blank) year.

4. If the school can afford some Velcro to help him hold on to the ball, look for JONATHON HURT to have the best year of any Lafayette running back since Erik Marsh. (Better than Joe McCourt? Yes.)

5. A partially completed NEW STADIUM. A dream come true.

[slostang]

Cal Poly's Strengths:

1) Team is led by coach Rich Ellerson who finished 10th in the voting for the 2005 Eddie Robinson award.

2) Defense that is led by four players that have been named to at least one All-American team. DT Chris White, LB Kyle Shotwell, CB Courtney Brown and FS Kenny Chicoine.

3) Offense led by So RB James Noble who rushed last year for 1,578 yards and 16 TDs and averaged 7.1 yards a carry. The offense is also returning four other sophmores starters that includes 6'6" 225 WR Ramses Barden who had 40 receptions for 655 yards and 9 TDs in a run first offense.

4) Offense is adding an H-back this year. 6'3" 240 lb Redshirt freshman Jon Hall is the leading canidate for the job. He had 73 recptions for 1,169 yards and 13 TDs his senior year in High School. The coaches are really high on this kid.

5) Playing in a newly renovated stadium.


Cal Poly's weaknesses:

1) Defense must replace DE Chris Gocong, 2005 Buck Buchanan winner, and his 23.5 sacks.

2) Poly also lost their other DE Matt Chachere who had 10 sacks in 2005. The two DE combined for 33.5 of Cal Poly's 62 sacks in 2005.

3) Cal Poly has a tough road schedule this year that includes trips to San Jose State, San Diego State, Montana, North Dakota State, Sac State and Weber State.

4) Cal Poly had to replace three coaches. Cal Poly also lost two coaches after the 2004 season (of the five coaches that left in the last two years, four went to I-A programs and the other became a head coach at a NAIA team in his home state).

5) Must over come that infamous east coast bias.:smiley_wi

[DFW HOYA]

Strengths:
1. Coaching. Kevin Kelly was successful at the I-A and I-AA level. He knows what it takes to win.
2. Defense. How could a team averaging 10 points a game actually win four games last season? A tough defense, that's how--Georgetown finished #25 in the nation in total defense. Expect more of the same in 2006.
3. Schedule. Most games should be fairly competitive.
4. Recruiting. Georgetown does more with less than anyone in the PL. There are two or three recruits this season who could really step up.
5. Institutional support. Getting more financial aid is a priority.

Challenges:
1. Coaching. Only one returning coach from 2005. Offense must retool to yet another offense--the third OC in four years. That's going to take time.
2. Offense. Finished 116th of 116 schools in offense. Its leading returning RB rushed for 237 yards and one TD last season. Hoyas were outscored 80-0 in the first period last season--not a good number when you're a 10 points a game team. Those numbers need to change from game 1.
3. Schedule. Opponents don't draw any local interest.
4. Recruiting. According to Colgate13's blog, Georgetown recruits at about 10-15% the equivalency level of all other PL schools. Can't say how accurate that it is, but it exacerbates the depth issue.
5. Facilities.

[skinny_uncle]

Top 5 things: Hmmmm.
OK.

1. Arkee Whitlock: 2105 total yards last year, 1455 rushing, 5.4 yds/carry and 14 TDs.
2. Offensive line: 5 starters back anchored by center Will Justice.
3. Craig Turner: Ranked top return specialist returning from last year-about 22 yds/KR and 15 yd/PR with a TD from each.
4. QB Nick Hill (last years backup) - 75% completion rate, 245.46 efficiency rating, 11.3 yds/ carry. rushing TD, 3 TDs passing.
5. Braden Jones, TE. 44 inch vertical, 2 TD last year on receptions and another on a fumble return playing on special teams (The best player you have not heard of yet).
6. Lorenzo Wims- 7 sacks last year, more to come.
(6 out of 5 ain't bad.)

[MACHIAVELLI]

Lehigh
Top 5 Strengths
1. Wide receivers-(the list is long with experience)
2. Offensive line- Only have to replace 1 from 2005
3. Secondary- ( the list is long with experience)
4. Coaching
5. strength and conditioning

Top 5 Questions
1. Penalties
2. Punting
3. Field Goal/extra points
4. creative Kick off return
5. use of the running game

[douglasdmb]

Top 5 Strengths
1. Offensive Backfield - Bears return both the leader in yds per carry and rushing TDs
2. Linebacking Corps - Bears are extremely deep and experienced here, returning all 3 starters. Two of three starters finished top 5 in tackles per game last season in the conference.
3. Offensive Line - 4 out of 5 starters return from last year
4. Coaching Staff - Randy Ball regime out, Terry Allen in
5. Defensive Secondary - Bears return both starting CBs and both Safeties, as well

Top 5 Questions/Weaknesses
1. Wide Receiving Corps - Both starters have moved on from last season. Only two wideouts return who caught more than one pass last season.
2. Defensive Line - Bears lose half of last year's starting line that was 2nd worst in Gateway in rush defense (211 yards/game) and last in sacks (12).
3. Special Teams - Bears lose 2004 All-American placekicker Jon Scifres, who also served as the Punter. Leading kick and punt returners are gone as well.
4. Quarterbacks - Starting QB from last season was lost to baseball, Bears have signed former Washington State Cougar walk-on Garrett Congdon.
5. Coaching Staff - Although Terry Allen is a proven winner (at least in I-AA), it may take a couple years for him to truly have an affect on a weak program.

[Grizo406]

I meant at Montana, and in their offense.


"I'm sick of everyone giving the troops a fair pass on everything. The majority of these guys are the most ignorant the USA has to offer. So you have to question the motives. You realize a great deal of these guys are dropouts, and have criminal records. This is embarrassing."

After reading your compelling retoric from above, I hope you understand the reason I was confused.

[seantaylor]

"I'm sick of everyone giving the troops a fair pass on everything. The majority of these guys are the most ignorant the USA has to offer. So you have to question the motives. You realize a great deal of these guys are dropouts, and have criminal records. This is embarrassing."

After reading your compelling retoric from above, I hope you understand the reason I was confused.

Nope.

[Brad82]

Good:
Joe Casey
O-line
Tight end
new asst. coaches
some of the defensive line and LB's

Horrible:
Play-calling
secondary

4-5 win season again

[OL FU]

FU fans, let me know what you think.

Pluses:
1. Running game: If anyone has a bigger and stronger 1AA backfield, I'd like to see it.

2. Felton: Part of the running game, but he needs his own category.

3. Size: lots of beef at nearly every position. Throwing 6'7 310 lbs Joel Bell in at tackle doesn't hurt either.

4.Linebackers: One heck of a corps. Nearly anyone you put out there would find a starting spot on most SoCon teams. Andrew Jones and co are some absolute studs.

5. Attitude: Furman has lost one home game in 2 years (eventual NC JMU). They have a swagger, expect to win, especially in the shadow of Paris Mountain. There is a big difference between going into a game hoping to win, and expecting to win.


Minuses:
1. The Stars: Lost MLB William Freeman and QB Ingle Martin to graduation. Going to be tough to replace that type of production.

2. D-backfield: Good deal of potential there, but some people are going to have to step in and fill some roles. Andrew Thacker has to have a better year.

3. The last 15 minutes: Furman has a great set of coaches, but I swear we have the hardest daggum time closing out football games. I don't care if we are playing the pop warner team, as long as they are between the lines with a uniform on, pound them. The Paladins will too often take their foot off the gas with a little way to go to the finish line.

4. Special Teams: Killed us last year. Has cost us game after game for several seasons now. Furman, in the last four years, has only been soundly beaten one time (GSU 2002). Quite of their recent losses (and some near losses) were the result of late game mishaps on special teams (see #3). Scott Beckler has the ability, but he's gotta make the kicks.

5. O-line: Gonna have some big mammajammas up there, but the loss of Laggis, Stewart, and Covington will hurt. I have found, though, that the best way to cover up a developing offensive line is to run the stew out of the ball, which is exactly what I think we will be doing. After a few games, they will be fine.

You Done Good:nod:

My biggest concern is the O-Line. Only because we lost probably the best O-Line as a group I have seen in a while. We are all certain that the running game will be awesome and it will as long as the O-Line grows up fast.

Good comments on Beckler. He has the potential to be one of the best kickers ever at Furman but he has to get over what happened at the end of last year. I still shake my head at how someone could be so consistently good and then so consistently bad all in the same season.

The bolded comment above was a good one. But I think it was more of a problem last year because of our defense. Offensively, as long as I can remember, we get conservative after a big lead. However, conservative means run the ball even more and if the running game at Furman is clicking we will probably keep scoring. Last year though our defense could not protect a lead. That has to change this year.

[Ronbo]

3. The last 15 minutes: Furman has a great set of coaches, but I swear we have the hardest daggum time closing out football games. I don't care if we are playing the pop warner team, as long as they are between the lines with a uniform on, pound them. The Paladins will too often take their foot off the gas with a little way to go to the finish line.

This happens at Montana also and I attribute it to the coaches throwing in lot's of inexperienced players at the end of the game. The Coaches also get really conservative with playcalling being content to protect the lead rather than add to it. But what happens often is that we give up 14 points in the 4th quarter and score 3, so a 32-7 3rd quarter lead becomes a 35-21 victory.

The upside is that your #3's get some good experience and these guys are usually RS freshmen and freshmen.

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

Five Strengths of 2006:
1. Returning senior QB Justin Rascati - underrated in his management of the game.
2. Returning 2 of three strong running backs plus young RBs developing. We will run the rock for 250+ per game again, landing us near the top ten in rushing in the country... again...
3. All-Americans Corey Davis (a beast) on the OL and Tony LeZotte at S.
4. Playing key division games vs. W&M and UD at home.
5. Depth, Depth , Depth. Many of our highly touted red-shirt recruits from our championship season will be getting into the mix. This is the beginning of establishing our program as a premier program in the land of I-AA. Our receiver depth is sick, especially considering we're a running team.

Bonus: 2 of our Away games are within 2 hours of JMU. (VMI and UR)

Five Weaknesses of 2006:
1. Tough schedule. Away games at the #1 and #2 teams in the country (ASU and UNH). Plus, one Div 2 OOC game that does us no good for playoff contention.
2. Loss of O-Line coach. Very highly respected by players, big loss. Great pickup for Virginia Tech.
3. Lots of questions on DL.
4. Secondary depth is very young, but talanted. Can they step up to the plate on perform on the field?
5. Filling in for loss of two graduating OL. We should be fine, but some tackles may have to learn to play guard.

Points 1 an 2 outweigh the position issues by leaps and bounds. I have faith in our coaching staff. One side effect of success at the I-AA level is loss of personnel. Thankfully, our head coach MM should be around for a long time, and he does a great job of managing the coaches as much as the players.

Regardless of the ASU game, the job of this team is to win the A-10 and you're in. That's our job this year and every year. A little upset over the mountaineers is just icing on the cake. :nod:

[Kill'em]

Georgia Southern

Strengths:
Speed, speed, and more speed
More diverse offense
Bigger lines on both sides of the ball than the past
Running game will still be good
Expect excellent special teams

Concerns:
The death of Teddy Craft-our best playmaker- and how it will affect the team.
The new transfers-how good they really are and how it affects team chemistry.
New offense- It could take time for the team to get good at it.
Quarterback

Could go either way:
Defense- We've added a lot of size, a couple of 300+ pounders and some close to 300. Add to the addition of Kearney at LB go go with the monster, John Mohring I think the defense will be a good one.