What's Your #1 Area That Could Prevent a Stellar Season?

[ngineer]

Every team has its wants and needs and returning strengths. But if you had to pick ONE area of your team, which one is THE one that could be your team's stumbling block to a 'great' season?

For Lehigh it will be the kicking game--and particularly placekicking. Punting should be in good hands. But the placekicking last year kept Lehigh from a couple wins, and with not much experience August will be a huge month of auditions for the three kickers on the LU roster.

[DFW HOYA]

Every team has its wants and needs and returning strengths. But if you had to pick ONE area of your team, which one is THE one that could be your team's stumbling block to a 'great' season?


Averaging nine points a game?

But if it's one, it is speed. Georgetown is much too slow of late to stay with its opponents and its lumbering offense is an easy read. A 28% third down conversion rate and allowing opponents an average advantage of 10:08 on time of possession are ingredients for trouble.

[Go Poly]

Uncertainty at QB....followed by a close 2nd, a new defensive scheme. Oh, and a completely new coaching staff may play a role as well.

[supercat11]

Defense....like always. Particularly the D-line.

[jmufan999]

Averaging 9 points a game? xsmhx

really? yikes. that'd be tough to watch.

for jmu, i guess i'd say we'll be in trouble if scotty mcgee doesn't improve as a CB. teams started picking on him late in the year last year. i believe that Virginia Tech transfer QB Peter Rose will be playing this year (don't think this is 100% confirmed but sounds close), but the word is that he'll be a WR. i'd like to see him as a DB instead. but what the F do i know, nothing. i have no concerns about the QB position, i like both Dudzik and Thorpe, i don't think we can go wrong with either.

our strength is once again our speed and athleticism, especially at the skill positions. very deep at RB. our o-line is usually solid, at worst. oh wait, maybe you didn't ask for our strengths? well anyway, those are two of them in case you did ask.

[Reign of Terrier]

pass defense is, was, and always will be. When we have a good squad in the secondary we are epic (2003).

[achrist70]

Secondary, the are all talented but young and inexperienced, if they come together we will be very good.

[Hoyadestroya85]

I'm gonna say pass defense.. we lose two starting D-Ends and one of our starting corners, but we should be fine in the future.

[Fordham]

D Line. The turning point in our season last year was losing to Colgate in the last minute. Overall, their big Oline just punished our guys and we were never the same afterwards. We need some beef and some guys to step up to keep from getting it shoved down our throats again.

[LacesOut]

Delaware - Offensive Line.

[Thundar]

QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,



oh yeah did I mention the QB

[Tribe4SF]

W&M - Offensive line. Two lost starters, and two out with injury for the Spring. Potential, but looks like it may be a weak point compared to the rest of the team.

[Tribe4SF]

really? yikes. that'd be tough to watch.

for jmu, i guess i'd say we'll be in trouble if scotty mcgee doesn't improve as a CB. teams started picking on him late in the year last year. i believe that Virginia Tech transfer QB Peter Rose will be playing this year (don't think this is 100% confirmed but sounds close), but the word is that he'll be a WR. i'd like to see him as a DB instead. but what the F do i know, nothing. i have no concerns about the QB position, i like both Dudzik and Thorpe, i don't think we can go wrong with either.

our strength is once again our speed and athleticism, especially at the skill positions. very deep at RB. our o-line is usually solid, at worst. oh wait, maybe you didn't ask for our strengths? well anyway, those are two of them in case you did ask.

The fact that people picked on Scotty is why he wasn't a starter. You guys lost both CBs, and two of your three safeties. The secondary, LBs, depth on the D-line, QBs, and O-line are all areas of concern for the Dukes.

[McNeese75]

The LINE (Both of em) xnodx

[CopperCat]

QB and WR, maybe RB. Defense is STACKED, so no problems there. If we can find consistency in a starting QB and complement that with a tandem running attack, that will certainly help things on the line, and in the passing game. We do have a few WRs that are promising but have not been battle tested. The line should be solid, we have some returning talent there. So really, it just comes down to the skill positions.

[GOKATS]

QB and WR, maybe RB. Defense is STACKED, so no problems there. If we can find consistency in a starting QB and complement that with a tandem running attack, that will certainly help things on the line, and in the passing game. We do have a few WRs that are promising but have not been battle tested. The line should be solid, we have some returning talent there. So really, it just comes down to the skill positions.

You don't just replace a RB like Crawford, but I'm pretty confident in the RB's this year. The key is the QB and WR's getting in sync and I think with the work they've done together this summer we should be much improved on offense- in all honesty last year sucked, but we did have key injuries to both starting QB's, best WR, etc. 'O' line is solid and as you said the 'D' is 'STACKED'. In addition, we're in great shape special teams wise with a probable all-conference senior punter/kicker and a place kicker who had a fantastic year last year as a true freshman- he could easily turn out to be one of the best in the nation.

[Husky Alum]

The CAA North.

[Cobblestone]

Our secondary has been a problem for a few years. We have one guy back there who can really cover but from what I see he has little help. I'm not too sure about our O-line either. We have a QB who can throw and a pretty darn good WR corps. The guys up front need to provide more protection than what I saw in the Spring game.

[SUUTbird]

Our offense this year is loaded with a veteran O-Line, RB easily the best WR core in the Great West but we will see if QB Cade Cooper is as good as advertised (looked great in spring game). Are defense is also pretty stacked except our secondary hopefully will be up to the task after losing our best cover corner to the draft.

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

Pass Rush

[UNCBears2010]

Coaching.




And offense.




And defense.




And special teams.

[Silenoz]

Well our kicking game was pretty terrible last year.... we even had an extra point run back on us xeyebrowx

So, that

[blur2005]

The CAA North.
Especially if you're New Hampshire.

[mtgrizfan4life]

The GRIZ usually reload. My biggest concerns are the kicking game, who steps up to be leaders, and offensive line.

Kicking and punting is a huge ? this year. Last year our kicking team was very bad. I feel that can only be better. McKnight is a solid kicker. The unit as a whole totally stunk though. To add to that, our starting punter from last year decided to transfer. Rumor has it that the JC kid is better though.

Leadership usually materializes, but we lost a lot of leadership from last year. It will be difficult to have leadership to the level of Colt Anderson, Cole Bergquist, Colin Dow, Russum, and JD Quinn.

The last 3 mentioned were all SR offensive lineman, which is my final concern. We have the size to replace to those 3. They brought so many intangibles with their talent. Those intangibles are hard to replace. Who will step up to be the enforcer Quinn was? I think our starters will be fine, but there is no way we have the depth we did last year. However, there is a huge positive for the offensive line. The GRIZ upgraded the OL coach, Chad Germer is a much better OL coach, in my opinion. He is a welcomed addition to our program. I feel the line will be inconsistent for 1/3 of the season. After that, I feel they will once again be well oiled machine.

Our Defense is always great in Hauck's regime, and get better as the season goes. I doubt I will ever worry about our defense, running game, and return game again as long as Hauck is coach.

[techstate]

For Lehigh it will be the kicking game--and particularly placekicking. Punting should be in good hands. But the placekicking last year kept Lehigh from a couple wins, and with not much experience August will be a huge month of auditions for the three kickers on the LU roster.

Your team needs a kicker? Ours tired to commit suicide last year after the Wisconsin game...he missed wide right.

[DLS]

appstate - o-line depth

[Uncle Buck]

Front seven on defense have to play much tougher.

[BossEagle]

The play clock...

[RichH2]

Agree for LU , kicking #1 and #1A.

Only other area is wr lots of talent and speed but other than Zurn and Artrim little frontline experience

[katstrapper]

xlolx Where do I start?

[spdram]

Your team needs a kicker? Ours tired to commit suicide last year after the Wisconsin game...he missed wide right.

CRUEL !!!! But funny. LOL

[carney2]

Lafayette, two items:

COACHING:

Frank Tavani is the savior of the program and we all love him. He has a habit of going bonehead once a year however and giving away a game he should win. Last year he set a new high in low. Against Penn he got up 24-0 at halftime and played 30 minutes of prevent defense, and created a new look on the other side of the ball - the prevent offense. He came within a gnat's eyelash of losing that one.

The faithful breathed a sigh of relief and figured that Frank had gotten it out of his system for 2008 and we dodged a bullet. But wait, there's more. The head coach inexplicably and irrationally went to war with his starting quarterback, benching him for the final 3 games. The final two games of the year - both losses which potentially cost a League championship and a spot in the playoffs - are on Tavani, not the kids.

The Associate Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach (all the same guy) moved on to the Big Ten. This could cut both ways since there appear to be capable replacements and the offense has gotten a little too stodgy.

The coaches have to get their act together and do a lot better in 2009 than they did in 2008.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Long the strength of the program, the offensive line has fallen on hard times. The biggest problem is recruiting - or the lack thereof. This year's starting five are adequate and could get the job done. Beyond that there are serious questions and potential chaos.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

For us, it is pass rush and power (short yardage) rushing.

[ngineer]

Your team needs a kicker? Ours tired to commit suicide last year after the Wisconsin game...he missed wide right.

xlolxWasn't that an old John McKay saying?;)

[ngineer]

Agree for LU , kicking #1 and #1A.

Only other area is wr lots of talent and speed but other than Zurn and Artrim little frontline experience


Agreed, but I don't see that as being our 'achilles heel' this year if we have one. WR is one position where talent can most easily trump experience. Catch the freakin' ball and run.;)

[Houndawg]

Last year poor KO coverage cost us the playoff game against UNH, so I think we'll be working real hard on special teams. With ten defensive and seven offensive starters back, I think the rest of our game will be sound. We're going to be real fast on D.

[Redbird Ray]

New Head Coach, New Offense, New QB....other than that, we're ready to roll...look out MVC!!! xrolleyesx

[asknoquarter21]

Last year injuries hurt Appalachian pretty bad, but it allowed us to have very good depth at almost every position

We have very good depth at every position, but if we have a weakness this year it is our offensive line depth. We are good at the starting spots, but if someone gets hurt it might get ugly and Armanti will have to run alot......hmmm

[Seawolf97]

For us 3 issues that I know of.

QB - Who starts ? Hoffman or newbie Coulter?
New defensive scheme 4-3 with a new defensive coach.
Kicking - Luke Gadis graduated -untested red shirt will step in.

[VictorG]

Well our kicking game was pretty terrible last year.... we even had an extra point run back on us xeyebrowx

So, that

Kicker will be much better this year as he was a freshman last year. Anyway he looked much better during the spring.

IMO the biggest area that could hold the Griz back is the OL. If we get many injuries there at all I think we'll be in trouble.

[UNHCATSFAN]

With UNH it undoubtedly is the offensive line being a big number 1 and maybe finding a go to receiver at number 2. But first and foremost its the offensive line. It is going to be hard to replace 4 starters with as much experience as those guys had. Three of them started over 30 games in their career. Putting together an offensive line will be the difference between a competitive season and a get me to thanksgving kind of year.

[Wildcat80]

With UNH it undoubtedly is the offensive line being a big number 1 and maybe finding a go to receiver at number 2. But first and foremost its the offensive line. It is going to be hard to replace 4 starters with as much experience as those guys had. Three of them started over 30 games in their career. Putting together an offensive line will be the difference between a competitive season and a get me to thanksgving kind of year.

No question it is the OL. We need to get experience fast. Would not be surprised if a few true frosh get to the two deep. Got a good tough local kid-Oneill-who could play. And a big Florida recruit too that has the size right now to help. And a kid from pennsylvania that i see dominated one of penn state's top DE recruits! Nice! Our defense might need to start out fast to help the offense early. By October I expect us to be fine. GO CATS!!xcoolx

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

With UNH it undoubtedly is the offensive line being a big number 1 and maybe finding a go to receiver at number 2. But first and foremost its the offensive line. It is going to be hard to replace 4 starters with as much experience as those guys had. Three of them started over 30 games in their career. Putting together an offensive line will be the difference between a competitive season and a get me to thanksgving kind of year.


No question it is the OL. We need to get experience fast. Would not be surprised if a few true frosh get to the two deep. Got a good tough local kid-Oneill-who could play. And a big Florida recruit too that has the size right now to help. And a kid from pennsylvania that i see dominated one of penn state's top DE recruits! Nice! Our defense might need to start out fast to help the offense early. By October I expect us to be fine. GO CATS!!xcoolx

Agreed, it is the OL for UNH. Got to think the Redshirt Freshmen are the key. Are they as talented as we think and how well will they mesh with Larkin and Neill.

FWIW, I think we have the defense to take the pressure off the offense -- haven't said that for a long time! Lots of talent, depth and experience returning. And I think there are a few Redshirt Freshmen who will have an impact on the defensive side of the ball. VT 53, I think adding Vines, Buzzbee, Evans and Jared Smith to the returning DL and LB corps will provide that pass rush you're looking for. We can have a brewski at Homecoming and evaluate. :D

[MSUBear42]

DEFENSE!

One thing that would help Missouri State is defense! It's been the thing holding us back these last two seasons. That and injuries.

[darell1976]

QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,QB,



oh yeah did I mention the QB

Same here, oh and throw in RB too. Our whole offense could be the area that makes or breaks us.

[SUUTbird]

Yeah well your starting running back decided not do his homework...feel bad for you guys, he was a good player hopefully he can come back.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

For Lehigh i say coaching and kicking game

IMO, Coen is still very much on the hot seat. Lehigh's lost a number of very close games for a number of reasons over the last few years. Coen and the staff have to prove they can get these guys to play for a full 60 minutes. As much good will Coen has built up over the summer a 1-3 start and he might not be allowed in to Goodman.

The kicking game cost Lehigh 3 games last year because they couldn't kick an extra point or kick a 25 yard fg. If that doesn't change they'll lose 3 more games this year.

[Hoseinexile07]

1. Everything.

[phoenix3]

Our only unknown besides injuries is our kicking - punts, kickoffs, PAT's and field goals - we graduated two 4 year starters.

[ncbears]

depth - just about every where besides qb.

[elon77]

Last year injuries hurt Appalachian pretty bad, but it allowed us to have very good depth at almost every position

We have very good depth at every position, but if we have a weakness this year it is our offensive line depth. We are good at the starting spots, but if someone gets hurt it might get ugly and Armanti will have to run alot......hmmm

I can't see if he stays healthy that's a bad thing!

[Bam]

EKU= new QB isuues?

[ur2k]

We don't have a power running back like we've had in the last few years with Hightower and Vaughan. I see our running game as our biggest question mark.

[89Hen]

Pat Devlin won't have this in front of him:

http://readingeagle.com/REnetImages/2008/08/27/1453277/500x500_1420446.jpg

[OSBF]

I think that if the other teams actually show up in the stadium, we will have a ton of trouble winning football games. Otherwise, we should be just fine.

[UD77]

The CAA North.

Could be worse - could be the CAA South

[bjtheflamesfan]

Looking at LU the biggest area that could prevent a stellar season I think would be overall team youth. As far as position wise...Id say WR and RB