(07-30-2017 08:57 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  Not a fan of Speight, but NO WAY would I take Roback over him. Brogan Roback has a great arm and below average decision making ability--relatively speaking, for a DI QB.

I would take Roback over Speight. Creighton has gushed over the maturity that Roback has developed. Last year Roback had a pretty darn good season. Roback and Bailey are difference makers. Yes Roback thru a couple 50/50 balls to Sergio who went up and made fantastic catches but sometimes you have to take chances playing from behind when the game is on the line. If Roback played in games up by 10 or more points, what kind of decision making would he have? Would he throw 50/50 balls? I don't think so!! EMU Football is rejuvenated and Roback is a key reason why we are on a path to get the ship going in the right direction. To be a good Football team there are many athletes required but our QB is the least of our worries.

I agree. My biggest concern for this year is the offensive line as the veterans along that unit and their play were huge reasons why we were so successful. Losing them could really hurt but Samuelson seems to be becoming a leader and I expect him to start. Having Vann back with the experience gained by the other backs could be huge.

The defense was improved last year and hopefully losing O'Connor among other doesn't hurt us that badly.

Really want us to make another bowl game and carry the momentum into the renovations of Rynearson.

(07-27-2017 10:07 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  We beat Toledo at their place this season and Roback's hometown friends cheer us on to victory.

(07-30-2017 11:55 AM)vannzee Wrote:  I agree. My biggest concern for this year is the offensive line as the veterans along that unit and their play were huge reasons why we were so successful. Losing them could really hurt but Samuelson seems to be becoming a leader and I expect him to start. Having Vann back with the experience gained by the other backs could be huge.

The defense was improved last year and hopefully losing O'Connor among other doesn't hurt us that badly.

Really want us to make another bowl game and carry the momentum into the renovations of Rynearson.

Whether Roback has a big season or not, is a 50/50 proposition. He has all the arm talent in the world, and a really good group of returning backs and receivers, so it's really all on him to step up mentally and be the best version of himself. He can certainly do it, and I'm hoping he leads us to an even better season this year.......BUT there is also that part of me that holds my breathe every time he drops back or rolls out with a little pressure, and chucks one off his back foot. Probabilities say that a lot of the luck we saw last year will revert back to the mean this year. I'll believe in a more consistent, patient, accurate Roback when I actually see it. Absolutely rooting for him to put it all together.

Cause for optimism, I think we'll see more RPO from Keen and Roback, especially early, to compensate for our evolving OL, which should keep the heavy pressure off of him, and allow for good decisions and accurate throws. If Dieuly is 100%, our receiving corp is really, really good.

(07-30-2017 11:55 AM)vannzee Wrote:  I agree. My biggest concern for this year is the offensive line as the veterans along that unit and their play were huge reasons why we were so successful. Losing them could really hurt but Samuelson seems to be becoming a leader and I expect him to start. Having Vann back with the experience gained by the other backs could be huge.

The defense was improved last year and hopefully losing O'Connor among other doesn't hurt us that badly.

Really want us to make another bowl game and carry the momentum into the renovations of Rynearson.

Samuelson as a starter? Not hearing that at all. Hopefully you know something that I don't because we need all the competition we can get at the OT spots.

NIU could be anywhere from 1st to 5th in the West division, all comes down to the QB. I think we retain enough talent to not do horribly, and with decent QB play we'll have a shot at the division, especially since whomever is QB will have (probably) 4 OOC games under his belt, and Huff can be a game changer at RB. 3rd place seems fair (not unreasonable anyway), though it's a complete guess at this point.

Looking forward to the game against EMU in DeKalb this year. Should be interesting.

We may have the best secondary in the MAC especially with the depth we now have, but we have to get some pressure on the QB for that to make a difference, which has been an issue lately.

Good luck against everyone but us.

http://www.cm-life.com/article/2017/08/c...ry-8-10-17

Big loss if he can't come back 100%. Hopefully we avoid the injury bug to key guys this year, much like last year.