2020 season discussion

We should win 11 games which should be enough to win the East.

I saw today where the student assistants are not allowed back yet. So logistics, laundry, practice photos, etc. will all fall on the coaches and staff.

I think we will be through Bama.

Got to let the defense try to win UVA and Bama. Can open up the offense later or second half of Bama if need be.

I do think Kirby has seen the light so early conservatism is just trying to give us the best chance to win early.

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Hopefully Kirby doesn't see this as a reason to keep the ultra conservative offensive style from last year

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He doesn't have Blankenship to bail em out so hopefully we won't continually play for 3 once we get inside our opponents
territory.We also have obvious unknowns at the RB position.

Probably feel the same as everyone here. We are a 10 or 11 win team and will ultimately come down to QB play on how far we go with the new offense. If its the right 10 games, we will go to the SECCG and have a shot at the playoffs. I think the OL will be fine with that talent and being able to go against the best defense in the country during practice. Go Dawgs

Yup, if the offense improves somehow we should be a truly realistic contender to make the playoffs. Otherwise, I'm guessing we'll have a similar season to the last two we've had.

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were "realistic" contenders to make the playoffs in '18 and would have been last year had we not had multiple injuries with our skill positions.

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Correct, we were 60 minutes away from being in the playoffs both of the last 2 years. A 1-loss SEC champion is not being left out unless we have a set of entirely implausible circumstances, which is virtually impossible

I think the lack of a spring and a proper organic growth throughout the summer into the fall is going to hurt the offense at first, and it just sucks that Bama is week 3.

I think once our offense hits its stride, we will be the best team in the nation. It just needs to happen before Auburn because we will win out once it does happen.

Ultimately, it comes down to Monken and Newman. The defense will be the best in the country and they'll keep us in every game. I'm not quite sold on Newman just yet, and the shortened period the new offense will have together before the season starts is a bit concerning. I'm not sure we'll be ready for Bama by week 3, but it's not a must-win game.

11-1 and we beat Bama in a rematch in the SEC Championship. Then, on to the playoffs...

Here is where I think we improve in 2020 vs 2019:

QB Play. Having a better downfield threat and having a QB who can damage a defense after breaking contain changes how defenses plan and attack. That could create more consistency at the QB spot than we had last season because the defenses can't defend the first 15 yards with 10 guys.

Run blocking. I think we'll have more holes with our mix of power blocking schemes. We may get back to more homeruns due to the scheme than in 2019. I expect an improved run game between the 20s week in and week out.

Run Defense. A big caveat to this is the health of Jordan Davis. But the biggest reason for improvement is talent/experience for Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Channing Tindall, Nolan Smith, Adam Anderson, Azeez Ojulari, and Tyreque Stevenson. The speed, athleticism, and experience in the box will be unreal.

Here is where I think we step back:
Pass protection. We were one of the best pass protection teams in the country in 2019. We lost a ton of talent on the OL at Tackle. Even if we can be considered among the best in the SEC, it will be tough to be considered among the best in the NCAA. The hope is that a better run game keeps us in better pass protection situations (along with a mobile QB who can keep a defense at bay with his legs).

Here are the biggest question markes for 2020 imo:
How good will we be in red zone rushing? We were bad in 2019 (8th in the conference in rushing TDs. 10th in the conference when looking at conference play only). Will Trey Hill magically not get knocked back in short yardage situations anymore at C? How will the new faces do on the OL in short yardage? Will a mobile QB help the rushing TD total? How do the RBs do (we have 5 career rushing TDs among all of our RBs).
This of all things determines if we are a elite team or not, imo.

How will the OL handle attrition in 2020:
In the 2018 SECCG, we had our 4th string right guard play against Quinnen Williams.
In 2019, we got down to our 3rd string RG, 3rd string C, and 3rd string LG over the course of the season. And we had games with uncertainty at both tackle spots.
Who is our 6th man? Who is our third string at any position? Will we be able to survive injuries like we did under Pittman? Losing 4 players off of last season's roster makes this a huge question-mark for me.

Can the offense gel with the new OC, new QB, and not having Cager to lean on? I would throw up if I was a Gator fan and we burned timeouts because of wrong wrist bands/communication.
How aggressive will we be knowing that we have a solid defense and week in and week out we won't need to push 30+?