re: 2020 season discussion

The scheme will make a huge difference. Cook will have nothing but opportunity. Hopefully we see his best.

Milton looks like a Gurley clone complete with pass catching ability. He has things to learn, though, and we know he's not playing much until he's a competent blocker.

Seems like the kind of kid who would put in the extra work on his own. I think only Washington among the freshmen has as good a chance to contribute early.

I was trying to think of what could go wrong with our defense this season. Where are the weak links?

The only thing I could come up with was depth at DL and depth at DB. We have depth. But there is a difference between a great college player and good one. And in a playoff calibre opponent, that is where mistakes can be made (going up against elite players).

We are a different team when Jordan Davis is not on the field. I think we can get near elite play with Davis, Wyatt, Herring, and Walker (throw in Rochester if he has truly healed up). But we rotate so much on the DL that it matters how good Johnson, Walthour, Norton, and Hayes play.

I think for the first time in my memory, we have an opportunity to be near elite at every spot of a dime defense. Stokes, Campbell, Lecounte, Cine, Daniel, and Stevenson. But can we be elite behind Stevenson? Behind Lecounte? Behind Cine?
In the defensive backfield, it only takes 1 player to be the gimp and get picked on by an elite target and good QB.

The obvious strength in our depth is at LB. Rice, Dean, Walker, Tindall, Davis and Marshall. There is some youth on the backend. But the talent at ILB is deeper than I can recall.

At OLB: Ojulari, Smith, Johnson, Sherman, Anderson, and Grant.

With all of the talent at LB, I see teams trying to force us into more dime packages. I see teams making themselves 1 dimensional and not even trying to run the ball (see LSU when Jordan Davis was on the field). If we can stay healthy at DB, this could be our best defense ever (even with a hurry up offense).