....personnel this season?

The Cajuns return a lot of starters so look to be in good shape. It's especially conforting knowing that both Alonzo Harris and Elijah McGuire are returning. Having said that, if QB Broadway goes down again, I'm concerned about who'll replace him and how the team will respond. It was pretty ugly last year as we lost both the ULM and USA games without Broadway.

Jalen Nixon came in late in the New Orleans Bowl against Tulane and drove the ball from deep in our territory inside Tulane territory and took a lot of time off the clock when we needed it. He looked poised and the team seemed to rally around him. Don't know anything about his position with the team this year and am hoping a Cajun fan in-the-know can provide some info on him and who else might step in.

I sure hope Hud is better prepared to back up Broadway this year than he was last year.

TXST's D-line is full of question marks. With lots of JUCO players, no one knows what to expect. I don't anyone is feeling too optimistic about it.

QB: If Jones goes down I don't see Nixon being an effective backup, or any of the others for that matter.

Are O-Line and D-Line are quite fresh around the gills, though skill player wise we're pretty good.

However, overall depth is super bad. One of our starters almost at any position goes down, we are in pretty bad shape

(07-12-2014 07:06 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  Are O-Line and D-Line are quite fresh around the gills, though skill player wise we're pretty good.

However, overall depth is super bad. One of our starters almost at any position goes down, we are in pretty bad shape

Green, it's green around the gills....and it refers to feeling ill. Perhaps wet behind the ears would be more appropriate?

As for the depth problem, I had no idea you guys were so short on experience.

(07-12-2014 06:51 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  TXST's D-line is full of question marks. With lots of JUCO players, no one knows what to expect. I don't anyone is feeling too optimistic about it.

QB: If Jones goes down I don't see Nixon being an effective backup, or any of the others for that matter.

Connor White did very well in the spring so I'm not as concerned about the QB position.

We held back some JUCOs last year that I think will make a difference on the line. They won't have the experience of the 2013 line but I have to have faith in Thompson to get us the best line he can and make it work.

(07-12-2014 07:33 PM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-12-2014 07:06 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  Are O-Line and D-Line are quite fresh around the gills, though skill player wise we're pretty good.

However, overall depth is super bad. One of our starters almost at any position goes down, we are in pretty bad shape

Green, it's green around the gills....and it refers to feeling ill. Perhaps wet behind the ears would be more appropriate?

As for the depth problem, I had no idea you guys were so short on experience.

oops! oh well.

as for depth its a big problem. But when you go through five coaches in five seasons something has got to give somewhere. As Anderson said recently, "I think depth is our biggest concern. That would be all across the board. There's not a position on the board where I can tell you we have tremendous depth."

I don't have any talent concerns on offense. We're certainly more talented than last season and more way more experienced. The concerns are experience at QB and the loss of Eric Thomas at WR to the NFL. The talent is there, just have to put it together.

Concerns abound on defense. At one point the Troy D-Line lead the SBC in sacks and finished 2nd or 3rd in sacks. We are more talented this year, but vastly less experienced in the D-Line. All four top linebackers return. They played ok, the concern is if they can take it up a notch and play like 1st All-SBC linebackers.

Again, we are more talented in the back five with a former 4-Star and a former Parade-All American. Experience and coaching are question marks. We have a new CB coach and the former CB coach moves to coach safeties. This unit was middle of the pack FCS at best. Improvement will take some time.

The offense and front seven on defense are extremely talented, yet the back five can unravel the entire team in hurry if they don't improve. Special teams has a few issues as well. We lose a JUCO-All American Punter, but add a JUCO-All American return specialist. Blocking on returns has been an issue for years.

My biggest concern would be the coaches/new offense I guess... I'm not overly concerned or confident about any one aspect of our team. I'm just really anxious to see how this year unfolds. It should be a fun one!

Our Oline and WR's

Like a lot of the others, my biggest concern would be the DL. We lost a lot of players to graduation, many of whom had been here since well before we transitioned. Back then some people might not have called them FBS caliber, but those guys came together and were a force last year as seniors. A lot can be said for having played together for 4 years; the chemistry was there. We bring back a couple of experienced DTs that are good, but we are thin in depth. A couple of late JC transfers hopefully will help us out. I also wish we had another big 200 lb running back for depth purposes. Kendall Houston is the goal line back but other than that most of the guys backing up Jones are young and untested.

The o-line and the d-line are short on depth. QB will also be a concern if Knighten doesn't get the job done.

(07-12-2014 07:33 PM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-12-2014 07:06 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  Are O-Line and D-Line are quite fresh around the gills, though skill player wise we're pretty good.

However, overall depth is super bad. One of our starters almost at any position goes down, we are in pretty bad shape

Green, it's green around the gills....and it refers to feeling ill. Perhaps wet behind the ears would be more appropriate?

As for the depth problem, I had no idea you guys were so short on experience.

Other than DT, stAte is loaded with talent. We'll be fine.

6 dudes on National Watch Lists, not counting our bad ass RB Flash Gordon.

Back 7 on defense are very tough - TE is stacked - WR will depend on some new guys but has McKissic and lots of talent.

Only worry is interior DL.

After losing Ross Metheny due to expired eligibility, lack of an experienced quarterback is my major concern at South Alabama.

Lack of anything is a concern at UTA. Could be another long season.

(07-12-2014 10:49 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  After losing Ross Metheny due to expired eligibility, lack of an experienced quarterback is my major concern at South Alabama.

You just might have the receivers and o-line where you could plug in a dummy and he'd still hit the open receiver. Not many can cover Shinn, Smith, or Woodson.

Everything on offense since it is new. We have no idea if our O line, QB's, or WR's are going to be good or big enough to run it. We have speed at QB and decent RB's and that is about it for this new offense. Other than that just depth since it will be two or three years before we are at true FBS depth. We are already having to shuffle players around as it is if we have any major injuries to any key starters we are going to hurting. Cant wait to get more fully scholly recruiting classes under our belt!!

lack of depth and inexperience, we have as much starting talent as anyone in the conference, but we are really young with our 2nd and 3rd stringers, I think we will be very competitive for 3 quarters, but once our starters get tired and we have to substitute we are going to be in trouble, expect to lose the majority of our games in the 4th.

My biggest football personnel concerns?

The construction crew to expand the trophy case. Will they get it done in time for the ceremony? Will it match the existing architecture? Will it sufficiently capture the awesomitude of the might mighty bobcats? These are all concerns I have!


(sorry, it needed to be said)

(07-12-2014 09:38 PM)GreatAppSt Wrote:  Our Oline and WR's

Agreed GAS, and I'd add DBs, we have talent at all three but that talent is very young.

(07-12-2014 07:33 PM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-12-2014 07:06 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  Are O-Line and D-Line are quite fresh around the gills, though skill player wise we're pretty good.

However, overall depth is super bad. One of our starters almost at any position goes down, we are in pretty bad shape

Green, it's green around the gills....and it refers to feeling ill. Perhaps wet behind the ears would be more appropriate?

As for the depth problem, I had no idea you guys were so short on experience.

At certain positions. We're still very deep in the secondary, and we've got some depth at a couple other positions that's inexperienced. What we cant afford is to lose lets say a McKissic, Gordon, or even a Knighten, because while their backups appear to be talented, most are Freshman.

That being said, losing one of those would be the equivalent of the Cajuns losing a Broadway, McGuire, and Harris. Obviously no one can afford to lose their star players.