(07-27-2013 03:14 AM)falconwook Wrote: A LOT of questions heading into this fall camp. I can't wait! Here are some of them:
1) Will Reardon or Fisher take the starting QB job? (after spring practice it seems that Reardon is #1 because of his work ethic and because of Fisher's injury. I believe the job is Colin's to lose and that the coaching staff is more behind him than Fisher)
2) Will Fisher enter camp at 100%? (I believe he will after having three months off to re-cooperate after his knee injury)
3) Will Fisher loose his West-coast Cali laid back attitude and step-up to the plate and take this starting job that he came here for? (Honestly, I believe that if he is ready for the job he will take because of his threat on the ground. Colin is fast but in the end isn't as quick as David.)
4) Will the O-line be ready? (NO!!! Plunkett and Pizzzuro are junk, Witucki still isn't game ready even after a redshirt season, Pruitt still wishes he was on the D-line, Bitsko and Johnson MIGHT be ready but it still will be impossible to fill the void of Winters and Kline both going to the NFL)
5) Will the LB crew be ready? (No. Losing Batton and Malliulu to graduation is a very tough void to fill. Dellinger and Strickland are quality LBs but still aren't mature enough to command the D like their predecessors were able to. Gress is an OK LB but still won't fill the void. Colston is too much of a thug to even start.)
6) Will the WR's be ready? (I think so. We only lost Hurdle and Adeyemi. Will Woods, Chris Humphreys, and Charles Chandler have showed they are ready to take over for the the team's losses [wish Humphreys caught that damn pass in the GoDaddy Bowl]. Boyle proved last season that he has the abilty to be a clutch receiver [see Rutgers game]. I'm curious to see what Kris White does this spring but I'll be surprised if he isn't redshirted.)
7) Will Anthony Melchiori be able to handle the responsibilities of being a Punter and a Kicker? (I think.)
8) Will the Secondary step-up like they did last year and force turnovers? (Yes. All we lost was Sid Saulter and Norman Wolfe and I know for a fact Malcolm Pannel and Darius Polk are more than ready to take over. Unfortunately there isn't much depth after them though.)
Falconwook, some interesting comments and here are my responses to your questions and comments.
-QB is definitely Reardon's job to lose, as Haynes has told a few people I know that he was pleasantly surprised with how talented and athletic Reardon was this spring/summer.
-OL will definitely be a work in progress and you can't replace 2 4 yr starters who are now on NFL rosters, but Kent Cleveland was serviceable and can be replaced. A few names you failed to mention as candidates for OL starters this year are as follows: OT Jim Katusha from a junior college in CA and formerly St Ignatius High School in Cleveland OH (he is the projected starter @ LT or RT, 6'5" 290lbs), OT Wayne Scott a true freshmen from Daytona Beach FL (6'4" 330lbs), & Reno Reda OT redshirt freshmen and was the starter @ LT coming out of spring ball (6'5" 287lbs). Don't forget that Huff returns at Center and McShane returns moving to LG. Last, the OL coach this year is a lot better than the previous OL coach under Hazell. Plunkett/Pizzuro have always been backups, so they are there just to provide depth/experience.....
-LBs, Dellinger will be the starter @ MLB and won't need to command the D as his predecessor did, as Nix and Wollet are the clear leaders of this defense. An important name you left off of your comments is Jake Houts, OLB recruit from Fullerton JC in CA (6'1" 230lbs), as he will definitely vie for time and should be the starter replacing CJ. Another name is the starter @ the LEO position, Zach Hitchens who is poised to have a big year this season. Last name you left off, is Andre Parker who saw a lot of time @ the SAM LB position. 4 freshmen LBs are coming onto campus this week, all with more talent than Colston and he isn't being counted on to be a starter. Gress has always been a backup and special teams player.
-The WRs will be more than ready. The starters will be Humphreys, Goode, & Archer with Boyle seeing plenty of time in different sets as well. The backups are Sam Miller (Goode's backup), Kris White or Charles Chandler (Humphreys backup), & William Woods (Archer & Boyle's backup) for the slot. Humphreys had a great spring and got a lot stronger, so I would expect a really solid season out of him. If White is redshirted, that will only help him in the long run with his development. TE will be a strength with a ton of depth. Erjavec and Payton are solid, with Fackler & Crum having a ton of size/potential and year to develop. Add to that, 2 more TEs are coming to campus this week as part of last spring's recruiting class.
-Melchiori kicked/punted all 4 years in high school, so he is capable, but it will be tough to top Cortez's senior yr. Haynes mentioned looking high/low for another place kicker this spring/summer, so there may still be help on the way to replace Cortez.
-When talking about the secondary, you forgot to mention the best player back there, Wollett, who will be All-MAC again this year. Also, the defense is moving to a different scheme, which includes the Star position like they had @ Ohio St (with Italiano & Pratt being the starter & backup). Polk & Pannell will be very strong @ CB. Also, Farrington will definitely push for a lot of time @ CB, as will Maxie, Rhone, & Roberts. At the safety spot opposite of Wollett, Calvin Tiggle (former starter, but missed all of last yr due to knee injury) returns as does Keenan Stalls who had a great spring.
What is lost in all of your comments are the strengths of this team RB & DL, which are both by far the best in the MAC. Durham & Archer both return from All-MAC seasons, as do Durden & Braithwaite who are very solid backups and added into the mix this week is Roman Clay, a stud, big back type from last springs recruiting class. On the DL, the starters will be Nix @ DT, Fairchild @ NT, Fackler or Gray @ DE, & Hitchens @ LEO. Backups for DL will be Terhune, Miller, Christopher, & Kincaid.