(09-26-2016 04:23 PM)AppManDG Wrote:  

(09-26-2016 01:08 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(09-26-2016 12:20 PM)AppManDG Wrote:  

(09-26-2016 10:09 AM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Most teams are one-third through their season. While we don't have all our off-season questions answered, what are your adjusted expectations for your team?

For App the players expect to win every game remaining (only SBC games remain). With Troy, GS, and ULL on the road that is a tall order. I think 7-1 is doable, but wouldn't be surprised by a 6-2 finish either.

Pass defense is still fairly questionable. Kicking as well.

Young WRs stepped up last week, just not the ones I expected.

Evans is going to be special, get used to see him and Moore the next few years, and our offensive line may just be the best in the conference (no injuries please!).

Have to think Watts was sending a message to some of the scholarship WR's Saturday. Beginning to realize how important Doug Middleton was to our secondary. Gray has all the physical tools, but have to wonder if he has what it takes to be the QB of tge defense. All defenses have their weaknesses and Troy exposed ours last year. Woody likes to keep everything in front and stop people inside the 30. Hopefully he can make adjustments to the hurry up and quick tosses to the WR's. Our group of LB's are the best in the conference. PAT's & FG's still a work in progress. Very pleased with OL. People talk about Collins & Gossett, but imo Vic Johnson might be the best NFL OL prospect we've ever had. That guy can flat out play. RB position is in great hands into the foreseeable future. Taylor isn't flashy, but he's cool under pressure and just wins games. That's all you can ask for.

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Want to know what that message was? These guys fit our offense and can catch the ball. There isn't a message he needs to send any more than the players themselves can send.

Gray doesn't have it all mentally. He is more of an enforcer and seems to be reactionary versus pro-active in coverage, which is fine most of the time, however it also results in him being caught out of position.

All in all, App is right where most would've though, 2-2 going into conference play; Averaging 38 PPG, close to 280 rushing yards and 220 passing yards per game against G5 opponents.

The details are where people guessed wrong, however I don't think that Troy even has the offensive skill players that Akron has. I believe Troy has the better running back and quarterback (and coaching), but the threat presented by having a 5-9 160 lb guy next to a 6-3 215 lb guy won't be there.

The message being don't think because you're a scholarship player you're entitled to play. Walk-on's TJ Watkins and Brad Absher are getting snaps while former starter Dante Jones & heralded recruit Mock Adams have played minimal snaps while former starter Ike Lewis is MIA.

I'm no insider but that shouldn't need to be stated explicitly or implicitly. If the guys are playing with a sense of entitlement, which I doubt was the issue, then they should be benched unless that sense of entitlement is also leading to productivity.

The fact of the matter is that the young guys who got to play looked much more prepared and better suited mentally for what App was trying to do in the screen game. I've honestly never seen App run bubble screens to the effect that they did against Akron. Whether that was an Akron thing or an App thing remains to be seen.