re: Spring Practice Notes

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Somebody today mentioned to me on Twitter that the offense can't get any worse, which got me to thinking position by position.

QB: Have to think it'll be the same in a vacuum, at least. Now, a vastly inferior OL compared to last year (if that happens) could make the QBs look worse. But materially, you're not gonna get much worse than Driskel was last year or a severely limited Harris.

RB: Could conceivably take a step back, though I think Matt Jones was fairly average. I don't think right now that Lane is an upgrade, which means Scarlett or Cronkrite has to be ready from Day 1 for this spot to be an upgrade. Conservatively probably ends up as a push at best.

WR: You only lose Quinton Dunbar, but I've yet to see someone that can even replace him. Brandon Powell is better and should have played more last year, so that's a definite plus. If Callaway can play early, that's huge and could represent an upgrade. Otherwise, push here at best.

TE: Fairly confident tight end will be better from a receiving standpoint, but a downgrade from a blocking standpoint. Still, that's a big upgrade for me.

OL: Just failing to see any way this line is an upgrade over last year's unit, which was much improved but still exceedingly average by SEC standards. That line had a very good amount of experience returning, this line had almost none. There's exactly one upperclassman and the only two guys that have ever started a game in college have potentially serious injuries. I hate to say it, but barring a bunch of freshmen or second-year players taking major steps forward, this unit is going to take a big step back, and that affects every other unit on offense.

So it's possible this offense could be worse than last year. FWIW, I actually thought Roper did a good job scheming around a relatively poor OL in a one-year timespan. I'd be floored if Florida didn't have an equal amount of short, quick passes in the playbook next year and fans aren't complaining about a lack of intermediate and deep passes again. The Gators just won't have the line for it, particularly when you consider they're losing their best blocking tight ends and best blocking back.

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