I was completely wrong about Tino. I thought he was going to be fine running the zone-read hurry up style offense. In 2010 I thought he did his best work as a QB when he was in Shotgun. It'll be interesting how he does this offseason and next year.

As expected there was very little depth at RB. Bennett could be a very good one in the future but he def isn't a Graham. Now that Shell is coming in, I think Bennett will be a fine #3 back behind Graham and Shell.

Street is going to be a good one at the WR position and the same with Carswell. I think we're going to have weapons on the outside. Shanahan just didn't seem to step up like I thought he would. He had some drops in critical situations that I just didn't see coming. Cam had a good year until his injury.

What can I say about Hubie Graham? This kid stepped up the way I thought Shanahan was going to. Graham was very, very good in short yardage situations. Can't wait to see him progress here on out.

As big of a year Hubie Graham had at the H-Back position, Aaron McDonald had at DT. What a machine he was during the regular season. Not sure how his skill set will continue to grow in a 4-3 system.

Todd Thomas had a decent year at LB, I think he'll be even better next year.

Its going to be tough losing Tags as a S and a Special Teams player. The kid was simply a player that played his heart out. Our CB's was a pleasant surprise on both sides of the ball. Can't wait to see continued growth as we move forward this offseason.

Can't wait to see what Chryst and his coaching staff does with these players. I'd like to see continued growth on the OL and DL. I think we have some pieces in place for a fun season. I'd like to see more out of our Clairton kids lol.

Season Grades

QB F
RB A
WR C+
TE B
OL D

DL B
LB B
S B

ST B-

You thought more highly of Tino than I did. But I thought Tino was going to be a better QB in TG's system than the pro style simply because Tino wouldn't have to rely on his arm as much and would have the ability to make plays with his feet. Well, now we know that Tino is not a capable QB in FBS FB period. Despite the problems this team had this year, I truly thought that they were merely inches away from having a truly special season. If you think about it, Pitt should have finished this season with a 10-2 record at a minimum with losses to Utah and Rutgers. But even with these losses, if Tino played like a competent QB, Pitt wins both these games. Pitt should have went to the Orange Bowl this season, and TG should have quit and have been hired by aTm instead of going to ASU...lol

Absolutely I thought Tino would be fine heading into this season. He obviously proved me wrong hence the Grade F for the QB position.

The shame of it all is that one of Tino's strengths is his athleticism. He's a pretty decent runner and while nobody is going to compare his arm to Kyle Boller anytime soon, it's not the weakest arm in the country. I think common sense before the season told me (and others) that Graham's offense should have maximized Tino's ability because he would be able to showcase his athleticism more than he could under Wannstedt. It became painfully obvious throughout the season, though, that he just didn't get "it" and therefore his effectiveness could really never be maximized. He is what he is. He's just never going to "get" playing QB mentally.

I'm most excited about what our OL is going to look like moving forward. Wisconsin doesn't always get the most talented players out of high school but they surely always have one of the best OL in the country. I look forward to that hopefully happening here. I'm currently reading "Swing Your Sword" by Mike Leach and he mentions that the first coach he hired at Texas Tech was the OL coach because it's the most important hire you have to make. The OL makes you sink or swim. I trust that opinion and wholeheartedly agree.

Absolutely building a big cohesive OLine is going to be very important as we move into 2012 and beyond. Too bad we couldn't get Noah Spence. Man that kid is a prototypical SEC DE. He's big, strong, and fast. I wished the WPIAL and PA could develop DE's like him more often. Also I think Tyrique Jarrett is going to be a beast on our DLine in the coming years. Him and Donald anchoring this DL is going to be awesome. I know our friend TigerPaul said this will be a total rebuilding project, but honestly I don't see it. With Graham and Bennett returning, I don see a need to "rush" Shell into the game. I think Meyers will be a big time upgrade over Tino at the QB position. Offensively, its really going to boil down to how effective this OLine will be.

I guess one thing that we shouldn't discount is the possibility that Meyers is actually going to pan out for us. He was highly rated coming out of HS and the reasons given for him not playing under Graham no longer exist. You've got to believe he'll at least get a shot at being the starter next season based on what we know about Sunseri.

At least the QB situation isn't quite as bleak as it would have been had Graham returned.

As for Shell, I kind of expect he'll play himself into the #2 spot. I expect Graham will be back. Bennett looks pretty good to me but if Shell is everything he's touted to be then he should have no problem surpassing Bennett on the depth chart.