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Which offensive units do you see being better/worse in 2014? Post A-Day thoughts

Posted on 1/29/14 at 12:25 am
Posted by chattabama
12essee
Member since Jun 2012
19315 posts
Posted on 1/29/14 at 12:25 am
I started the defense thread awhile back. LINK
Figured now would be a good time to predict the offense:

Quarterback: Worse. It doesn't matter if Jacob Coker, Cooper Bateman, Blake Sims, or Alec Morris comes out of the competition a winner. It's almost inevitable that there will be a drop off at this position. Another question with a new quarterback is leadership. Does the new qb have what it takes to lead our team well? If Coker wins the job will the locker room be completely behind him? Or is there going to be factions that support the other candidates? The key for success in this position is how he will take care of the football by limiting mistakes.

Running Backs: Better. I think the key to the offseason rb position will be ball security. Yeldon has an entire offseason to get healthy while Drake has the offseason to prove that he deserves to be on the field. I think we will be better this year because of Henry. While we haven't seen enough to anoint him the GOAT, he will see the field a lot more. The key to success at this position will be ball security. I'm hoping we don't have another year of Fumbletron and Droptimus Prime.

Wide Receivers: Better. The biggest loss in this position is Norwood. Who will step up to be that red zone threat? That is an unknown at this point. I think we will be better because White is returning, Cooper should be healthy, and we have a lot of exciting options on the bench. Could this be the year that we finally see Chris Black? What about Robert Foster? Can Falkins step up as a Norwood type threat? The key to success for the receivers is staying healthy. I can't imagine how awesome our offense could be if both White and Coop stayed healthy for the entire season. If injuries do happen, how will the rookies step up?

Tight End/H Back: Better. This is where we will reap the benefits of the Lane Kiffin hire. OJ Howard showed flashes of brilliance his freshman year, but was under-utilized. I would love to see him as a short yardage option, as well as the occasional deep ball. Hoping he can improve on his blocking. As for Vogler, I'm not sure what to think. Nobody takes him seriously as a receiving threat and he doesn't block well. Fowler as an h-back did fair last year. He did pretty well at catching the ball, but struggled on some blocks. Question with this position lie in development of the backups. Will Faciane do anything?

O-Line: Wash ( ) We don't have a lot of good experience coming back. Shepherd and Arie both proved to be inconsistent. Kelly was okay, but physically out-matched. Chad Lindsay was also inconsistent as a backup. I don't see him taking over for Kelly. With the way our oline played last year every position should be up for grabs. I question, though, if the veterans will be unseated by talented backups, or if loyalty to the incumbents will win out. It will be interesting to see where Cam Rob, Dominick Jackson, Leon Brown, and Grant Hill end up. Is the staff really willing to change things up, or will it be the narrative of doing the same thing and expecting different results. In the locker room hangs posters encouraging players to do things differently. It remains to be seen whether or not our staff embraces this mantra in deciding which players will see the field.
This post was edited on 4/20/14 at 11:37 pm
Posted by UAFanFromNOLA
NOLA
Member since Dec 2011
4882 posts
Posted on 1/29/14 at 10:42 am to
If Kelly could put on maybe 15 pounds of good weight, he would be the same size that Barrett Jones was and have a much better time.

I think the staff will be willing to replace the incumbent on the offensive line, but I could also see none of them losing their spots. Arie and Sheppard will be seniors, so they should have a big leg up being more physically mature. If Hill takes the RG spot, then it would be nothing but freshmen competing against incumbent starters.
This post was edited on 1/29/14 at 10:48 am
Posted by AllBamaDoesIsWin
Member since Dec 2011
26725 posts
Posted on 1/29/14 at 1:19 pm to
QB: Worse

Everything else: Better


The OL will have more experience and more talent with the class coming in, all the RBs are back so that explains itself. WRs get better because the only losses were Bell and Norwood, so really the only loss was Norwood, and we'll miss him, but we return three starters in Coop, White, and Jones. TEs are all back, so again that explains itself.
Posted by UAFanFromNOLA
NOLA
Member since Dec 2011
4882 posts
Posted on 1/29/14 at 1:42 pm to
I think Coop should get those tough 3rd down catches Norwood was great at.
Posted by chattabama
12essee
Member since Jun 2012
19315 posts
Posted on 4/20/14 at 10:51 pm to
After A-Day Overreaction bump.

Now what are your thoughts on offense?

I may have been generous when I said that our oline was going to be a wash. They might be worse than they were last year.

Thoughts on the quarterback position? What worries you the most on offense?
Posted by AllBamaDoesIsWin
Member since Dec 2011
26725 posts
Posted on 4/20/14 at 10:59 pm to
quote:

Now what are your thoughts on offense?

We have the weapons, we need a QB. Coker or Bateman is what it should come down to.

quote:

I may have been generous when I said that our oline was going to be a wash. They might be worse than they were last year.


I don't think that's the case. The front 7 was nasty and the offense was being extremely basic. The OL will be better than it was last year.

quote:

Thoughts on the quarterback position?


Coker or Bateman. Sims is a warrior, but he's not the guy.

quote:

What worries you the most on offense?


Austin Shepherd getting snaps and it isn't close.
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