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I know we have a defense thread going and we are Old Dominion where most of the games are won by Offense and that might change in the near future so lets get this underway shall we.

Lets do a position by position depth and who we are expecting to step up in certain roles this coming season.

OL: I got to say half way into 2014 i was very worried about this particular position when Heinecke is getting rattled play after play but i am relieved and this might be the strong position we have at the moment. Correct me if i am wrong Raul Martinez is going to be playing this season right? I could see Barnett or Hunter seeing some play time.

WR: We have lost one of our most productive WR in Antonio Vaughn and although we have Zach Pascal, David Washington and Blair Roberts returning i am a little worried here although it could be just me that is worried because we have some really good incoming talent at this position. We might see Jonathan Duhart, Quintin, Will Howard and Travis Fulgham who made some noise during practice step up and play although if our 1 deep trio starts killing it we might not see any of these guys getting much play time.

Tight End: I am really not sure who we might see in this role this season or if we chose to use this position at all.

Running Back: This is also a position of strength and depth at the moment even with the departure of Gerard johnson. Lawry is going to start and Jeremy Cox is going to challenge him for the starting role and we might see a mix of them. We also have Lowe and Harper who can see some time if needed.

Kicker/Punter: I really hope Segers has recovered and is ready to play although Ziffer stood up to challenge some times we need a steady leg and some one who is comfortable from 50 Yard line. Who knows may be shuler will surprise us by emulating Heinecke with good punts.

on a whole what do you guys think will be the position that is going to be critical this season with a change in our offensive philosophy speculated.

I'm worried about punting, hopefully Pulisic, Ziffer and Cervi have been working on their game. Regardless of how well Shuler can punt, we shouldn't have to pooch punt for every drive not capitalized on. I'm not terribly worried about placekicking if Segers comes back.

We've got 2 TE's listed on the roster, being Adam Swann and Nijee Cox, a RFr and Fr respectively. I don't know how much we'll utilize them, but TE's probably won't be a huge contributor to the offense unless these guys step up or we get some depth/experience at the position.

At WR I'm really excited to see how Zach Pascal does. He had a great season last year and I'm expecting him to continue to progress. Hopefully Pascal can put some pressure on the defense! I'm also interested to see how Fulgham and England progress. They might not be stars, but they seem like they'll have some good production in the coming years.

To answer your question on which position will be critical: I think that it's going to come down to the O-Line this year. We've got a lot of talent/experience in all the offensive skill positions. But the factor determining how well we utilize our run game or how long we can protect a QB that's never played a down of College FB will be the guys up front.

(07-02-2015 08:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  I'm worried about punting, hopefully Pulisic, Ziffer and Cervi have been working on their game. Regardless of how well Shuler can punt, we shouldn't have to pooch punt for every drive not capitalized on. I'm not terribly worried about placekicking if Segers comes back.

We've got 2 TE's listed on the roster, being Adam Swann and Nijee Cox, a RFr and Fr respectively. I don't know how much we'll utilize them, but TE's probably won't be a huge contributor to the offense unless these guys step up or we get some depth/experience at the position.

At WR I'm really excited to see how Zach Pascal does. He had a great season last year and I'm expecting him to continue to progress. Hopefully Pascal can put some pressure on the defense! I'm also interested to see how Fulgham and England progress. They might not be stars, but they seem like they'll have some good production in the coming years.

To answer your question on which position will be critical: I think that it's going to come down to the O-Line this year. We've got a lot of talent/experience in all the offensive skill positions. But the factor determining how well we utilize our run game or how long we can protect a QB that's never played a down of College FB will be the guys up front.

+1 on the OLine being critical this season especially with a Frosh QB. We will need all the help we can get from them to open holes and keep the scary defenses away from young Mr Shuler.

OL: Operation Protect Bentley is a go. Not too shabby if all stay healthy. It was all about the pass blocking for years, so it will be interesting to see how they react if it truly becomes more about the run-blocking. I expect hiccups, but hopefully the sacks can be minimized.

WR: I think it will take us at least a few games to find out who is going to be our next AV-esque speed and finesse guy. Marques Little and Isaiah Harper could battle it out for the spot. In the physical receiver and just-elusive-enough receiver departments, we're well-stocked. DWash, Pascal, England, Duhart and more. Melvin Vaughn currently listed at WR too.

TE: If the talk is not all coachspeak smoke and mirrors, then Operation Protect Bentley is a go. I'd assume Swann will get on the field at some point maybe with Vaughn rotating in. Not sure what the plan is for the incoming TE recruit Nijee Cox, but if he doesn't RS I guess he'll rotate in too. If we use them, I expect it will be mostly for the extra blocker when the situation demands it. Maybe a handful of catches for the entire TE corps this season. Next season with a more seasoned Bentley they'll get more.

RB: Lawry gets prime snaps up the gut, Cox & Strong for competition/cleanup, Lowe for sweeps and all things speedy coming around the side. Rest of the stable gives us depth. Help protect Bentley when necessary, and do it well. Stability, isn't it grand?

K/P: Hoping for the best with Segers, we need him back in action by the NC State game at the latest. Ziff's got the stuff, we just need him to refine it and make it a bit less suspenseful. The training and maturation afforded by the offseason should help. Experience is the biggest multiplier, and that will come with time. Punting scares me. Can't put the pressure on an opposing offense with a deep pin if we shank the punt. And the minute we start relying on Bentley to do it, even if he's great, it will be mean trouble.

QB: No offense to McElroy and LaRussa, but Operation Protect Bentley is a go.

Offensive line play and health will be a key. Hopefully kicking and punting will stabilize. I expect a breakout year for David Washington and Melvin Vaughn to be an outstanding tight end. Lawry will get a lot of carries and it seems we have the depth to spell him.

I think CmanJ did a pretty good job of summarizing where we are on offense, but here are a few other points to consider.

I expect Bentley to be the second Monarch to be C-USA offensive rookie of the year, but David Washington has the potential to be the Monarchs' most valuable player on offense. Last year he demonstrated his athleticism and value as a receiver, and I think he is poised to be one of the conference's premier "go to" receivers this year. But his unique, added value is in being ready to go at quarterback should Bentley go down with any significant injury. I hope he does not see one down at quarterback and makes all-conference at WR. But with Verhaegh out, it looks clear to me that Washington will be the next man up at QB, and the Monarchs are fortunate to have a QB of his caliber able to make the position switch (again) if necessary.

Let's talk Melvin Vaughn, or Mr. Versatility. Vaughn was already a good-sized WR, and now he has beefed up enough to play some tight end. He demonstrated his skills and reliability at WR last year. With Vaughn on the field, BW will be able to change the offensive formation without having to change personnel. The monarchs can be in a 10 formation (one running back, no tight end, four wide receivers) on first down and go right into an 11 (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) on second down just by moving Vaughn in. I believe this should be problematic for defenses as we go from a stong throwing formation to a strong running formation (and vice versa) without making personnel changes. If Vaughn is in the game, we can go from a 10 to a 12 by bringing Swann into the game. I just think we will see super versatility demonstrated this year with Vaughn being effective at either position. Heck, with Swann in the game, we could even see an 11 formation become a 21 formation with Vaughn becoming the second running back and being used as the lead blocker in a power play.
Vaughn = Versatility.

The center position is the key to our offensive line play this year. With Josh Mann gone, someone is going to have to step up big time to fill his big shoes, and based on the spring depth chart, that will be Eli Kessner. The play of the O-line will be one of the primary factors in detemining how successful the Monarchs will be, and with returning starters at both guard and tackle positions, we should be in good shape, but strong center play is a necessity.

CmanJ discussed our wide receivers and the need to find the next Antonio Vaughan. As a side note, I well remember wondering who in the world would ever replace Nick Mayers, and AV did a good job there (although I still think NM is the best receiver the Monarchs ever had). But I digress. This year I believe it will be Marques Little that steps up. Expect him to give us yards after catch in the tradition of Mayers and Vaughan as he has a bust-out year.

All this discussion just makes me more ready to see what this season holds....bring it on already

Good points by both CamJ and Aggie. I keep forgetting about Melvin and Swann for some reason its mostly because i am getting older. Also for Kick and Punt returning i think AV did a decent job and we might need some one to step up in the special teams department. Nick Mayers is still my fav WR and David Washington looks like he can challenge that.

Aggie summed it up pretty well. Vaughn could be the most important player on this offense this year. He's added weight and not slowed down, he looks like he is starting to settle into a bit of a leadership role as well. He seems very comfortable in his new role and will be a very tough match up wherever they move him. Swann has enough to spell him but isn't nearly as versatile.

The question for the WR's is who will be the deep threat. There are a lot of good to great possession types (Roberts adds to that) but they need someone who is at least a threat to take the top off the defense to open up space for those guys. Little may be the leading candidate for that roll, but there's no definite answer there yet.

Hey 12th, where was your photo taken?

(07-05-2015 01:35 AM)Petey Hodge Wrote:  Hey 12th, where was your photo taken?

I downloaded it from f-covers.com bit it looks like it was taken standing close to maglev track aimed at oceanography building and computational sciences building(which is not in the picture completely)

I'm really excited to see that BW does with Vaughn over the course of the season. Expect some pre-snap trickery in tandem with David Washington.