whaler11
Head Happy Hour Coach
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Pepband asked me for my prediction. The length of this post is his fault. I am writing off the top of my head so please feel free to add your corrections. Question: Is there any browser in which the UConn website works well?
As always BizLaw had some good thoughts - and he touched heavily on the offensive line. I think for the last decade or so the offensive line has always been my key to the season. This year I'd move it down a slot into second.
I think the single biggest factor for the 2016 Huskies is depth and therefore injuries. It's a roster that has some proven talent at the 1's and although they bring back a lot of starters they lost some key contributors at a number of positions. I might be proven wrong and a lot of players we haven't seen contribute yet may be ready to answer the bell, but I think once you get beyond the starters there are a lot of questions.
Quarterback:
If he stays healthy I think Shirreffs leaves as the second best quarterback in UConn's FBS history. There are some obvious comparisons to be made to Lorenzen and hopefully he can avoid the injuries that cost Tyler a lot of his effectiveness. I don't see any reason why Shirreffs won't be better year over year - played fairly decently last year behind a poor offensive line after sitting out after the transfer.
If he gets hurt - all bets are off on the season. Anderson seems like a great role player, Davis has already been moved off the position and then you are left with nothing but trying to catch lighting in a bottle with Bisack or Williams.
Running Back:
I'm not completely sure what I think about the position. I can tell you that the fact that Johnson and Newsome are both true Juniors makes me wish they didn't burn so many redshirts in 2014. Obviously we've seen some explosive plays from Newsome but little consistency. Johnson was much better as a freshman than a sophomore and has everyone at the position has put the ball on the ground way too much for the last two years. The reports are good on Johnson in camp and hopefully that translates. They have two guys with promise who compliment each other which is good.
I feel like they have shown flashes but have been a little disappointing to date. If they can start with not putting the ball on the ground I expect some improvement just because they have played behind such poor offensive lines to date.
Behind Newsome and Johnson, I don't profess to have any insight on what they might have.
Tight Ends:
Bloom and Myers I think are a good example of my overall premise on the depth of the roster. They have both made some big plays and give you some confidence if they stay healthy it will be a position of value. If they go down or don't play well - there are a lot of question marks behind them. Lee provides a little bit of confidence in the depth but this position was hurt pretty badly from a depth perspective during camp.
The kind of numbers Bloom/Myers can put up will also be driven in a lot of ways by how improved the offensive line is. If they struggle to block and need to keep the tight ends home, that will dictate the playing time and what their numbers look like. If the offensive line has really improved and allows the tight ends to be bigger pass catching threats that will certainly help the offensive move the chains.
Wide Receivers:
Behind the obvious skill position player star in Thomas, I really thought Beals would be the #2 receiver last year. He got off to a fast start and faded a bit. Hopefully that was a function of being a true freshman and he has a better full second season. Mayala passed him at the end of last year and is ahead on the published depth chart going into the season. Another true sophomore - hopefully we can get to redshirting more players soon. Lemelle has been here for what feels like forever I hope he can make an impact this season - another player who would have been helped by a redshirt.
WR has been a position that has looked better on paper than on the field for the Huskies for what feels like a decade. It's always something. Either issues at QB or an OL that can't block well enough to create an effective passing game.
Skanes is the flavor of the month, hopefully it doesn't turn out his true freshman season is wasted.
Offensive Line:
It's no secret why UConn hasn't had a winning season since 2010. The offensive line has gone from mediocre to terrible to horrific back to terrible. If they can get to average this season that would be a huge step in the right direction.
It feels like a lot of the players on the offensive line have been here forever. Crozier is a sight for sore eyes hopefully he stays healthy this year. Levy has to be better at guard than he was at tackle. Knappe could finally break out. Peart is getting the start over a lot of guys that have been here a while. This is a position where avoiding injury would be extremely helpful. Rutherford, Schafenacker and Vechery all have some experience but the results have been less than stellar.
Overall Offense:
If they keep Bryant healthy and the backs stop putting the ball on the ground - the line seems improved.... if they get a breakout performance from one of Mayala/Beals/Skanes and can block well enough to let the tight ends catch more passes.... some moderate improvement is a realistic expectation on offense. It's hard to see a real breakout unless the line is well above average and 2-3 skill position players really blow up.
Defensive Line:
Here is where the depth questions really start. Fatusaki and Myers are rock solid in the middle. Ormsby and Carrezola both have their moments - but both struggle a bit being consistent when they go against talented offensive lines. At their size it's hard to play 60 solid minutes but both have a nose for big plays which is great. Behind the 1's - hard to believe Stapelton is a redshirt junior but he has made some plays and could product two solid years. Marinan provides some solid depth. This is a position that they really need to avoid injuries at - it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the defense if they aren't getting good performances up front.
Linebackers:
I'm curious to see how the linebackers play. Few defensive players have created more conversation that Stewart and Vann was a good to very good player who I didn't think had his best season last year.
I thought Diggs would really break out last season, hopefully he does this season. Walsh has held off Levenberry to start the season which is impressive. He's had an interesting career and he is a big part of the defense. Joseph is a solid contributor as well. This position went from deep to somewhat thin in a hurry with graduations. Stay healthy my friends.
Defensive Backfield:
Williams and Summers are a very good pair at cornerback. This is a team that needs to generate turnovers and hopefully Summers can replicate his magic in 2015. I'm not sure I agree with Diaco that Obi is the best safety in the country - but he's a good player and if he limits the mistakes he can have a very good season. Not to sound like a broken record, but there is some risk here if they have to play the backups. I wish McAllister was a RSo instead of Jr - but you can't change the past. The safeties seem light but hopefully they stop the run up front well enough that they don't call on the DBs to make a lot of tackles.
Green has kept grinding - will be good to seem him get some run. I don't have any idea what they have in guys like Terry and Robinson. Maybe Garland will push his way onto the 2-deep yet.
Overall Defense:
A lot of guys who make can an impact as starters. A lot of questions for me on the depth. It's been similar to the Edsall era with the bend and don't break which I'm fine with - but this is a defense that needs to stay healthy and may need to get off the field faster than last year. Hopefully an improved offense will help increase time of possession and protect them some.
Specialists:
Puyol is fine. Just let him kick and give Tarbutt three years to play.
Wain has been a bit of a roller coaster - if he's consistent he can be a weapon.
We know the one true freshman who has to contribute is Zecchino - hopefully he plays 52+ straight games.
I don't have anything to say about punt returns beyond I'm interested to see what happens. Newsome and McAllister are certainly talented enough to make big plays on kick returns if the blocking is there.
Coaching:
I think Diaco is here as long as he wants to be. He has amazing energy and he does a great job as the face of the program.
I like that Diaco isn't afraid to think out of the box, but I hope he doesn't go overboard at times (i.e. Missouri).
He certainly has a type he is looking to recruit - I hope that they start to close more of the players they after against bigger programs. If you look at who they offer it's much different than the last two regimes in the quantity of players they go after and the schools they are recruiting against.
Will be interesting to see if any consistency at the offensive coordinator slot helps the offense along. There has been such turnover over the last half decade that it has held the offense back some.
Diaco and Poindexter can obviously scheme a defense - if they are healthy they will be solid.
There is a lot of pressure on Cummings because the line has been so dismal for so long.
As always BizLaw had some good thoughts - and he touched heavily on the offensive line. I think for the last decade or so the offensive line has always been my key to the season. This year I'd move it down a slot into second.
I think the single biggest factor for the 2016 Huskies is depth and therefore injuries. It's a roster that has some proven talent at the 1's and although they bring back a lot of starters they lost some key contributors at a number of positions. I might be proven wrong and a lot of players we haven't seen contribute yet may be ready to answer the bell, but I think once you get beyond the starters there are a lot of questions.
Quarterback:
If he stays healthy I think Shirreffs leaves as the second best quarterback in UConn's FBS history. There are some obvious comparisons to be made to Lorenzen and hopefully he can avoid the injuries that cost Tyler a lot of his effectiveness. I don't see any reason why Shirreffs won't be better year over year - played fairly decently last year behind a poor offensive line after sitting out after the transfer.
If he gets hurt - all bets are off on the season. Anderson seems like a great role player, Davis has already been moved off the position and then you are left with nothing but trying to catch lighting in a bottle with Bisack or Williams.
Running Back:
I'm not completely sure what I think about the position. I can tell you that the fact that Johnson and Newsome are both true Juniors makes me wish they didn't burn so many redshirts in 2014. Obviously we've seen some explosive plays from Newsome but little consistency. Johnson was much better as a freshman than a sophomore and has everyone at the position has put the ball on the ground way too much for the last two years. The reports are good on Johnson in camp and hopefully that translates. They have two guys with promise who compliment each other which is good.
I feel like they have shown flashes but have been a little disappointing to date. If they can start with not putting the ball on the ground I expect some improvement just because they have played behind such poor offensive lines to date.
Behind Newsome and Johnson, I don't profess to have any insight on what they might have.
Tight Ends:
Bloom and Myers I think are a good example of my overall premise on the depth of the roster. They have both made some big plays and give you some confidence if they stay healthy it will be a position of value. If they go down or don't play well - there are a lot of question marks behind them. Lee provides a little bit of confidence in the depth but this position was hurt pretty badly from a depth perspective during camp.
The kind of numbers Bloom/Myers can put up will also be driven in a lot of ways by how improved the offensive line is. If they struggle to block and need to keep the tight ends home, that will dictate the playing time and what their numbers look like. If the offensive line has really improved and allows the tight ends to be bigger pass catching threats that will certainly help the offensive move the chains.
Wide Receivers:
Behind the obvious skill position player star in Thomas, I really thought Beals would be the #2 receiver last year. He got off to a fast start and faded a bit. Hopefully that was a function of being a true freshman and he has a better full second season. Mayala passed him at the end of last year and is ahead on the published depth chart going into the season. Another true sophomore - hopefully we can get to redshirting more players soon. Lemelle has been here for what feels like forever I hope he can make an impact this season - another player who would have been helped by a redshirt.
WR has been a position that has looked better on paper than on the field for the Huskies for what feels like a decade. It's always something. Either issues at QB or an OL that can't block well enough to create an effective passing game.
Skanes is the flavor of the month, hopefully it doesn't turn out his true freshman season is wasted.
Offensive Line:
It's no secret why UConn hasn't had a winning season since 2010. The offensive line has gone from mediocre to terrible to horrific back to terrible. If they can get to average this season that would be a huge step in the right direction.
It feels like a lot of the players on the offensive line have been here forever. Crozier is a sight for sore eyes hopefully he stays healthy this year. Levy has to be better at guard than he was at tackle. Knappe could finally break out. Peart is getting the start over a lot of guys that have been here a while. This is a position where avoiding injury would be extremely helpful. Rutherford, Schafenacker and Vechery all have some experience but the results have been less than stellar.
Overall Offense:
If they keep Bryant healthy and the backs stop putting the ball on the ground - the line seems improved.... if they get a breakout performance from one of Mayala/Beals/Skanes and can block well enough to let the tight ends catch more passes.... some moderate improvement is a realistic expectation on offense. It's hard to see a real breakout unless the line is well above average and 2-3 skill position players really blow up.
Defensive Line:
Here is where the depth questions really start. Fatusaki and Myers are rock solid in the middle. Ormsby and Carrezola both have their moments - but both struggle a bit being consistent when they go against talented offensive lines. At their size it's hard to play 60 solid minutes but both have a nose for big plays which is great. Behind the 1's - hard to believe Stapelton is a redshirt junior but he has made some plays and could product two solid years. Marinan provides some solid depth. This is a position that they really need to avoid injuries at - it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the defense if they aren't getting good performances up front.
Linebackers:
I'm curious to see how the linebackers play. Few defensive players have created more conversation that Stewart and Vann was a good to very good player who I didn't think had his best season last year.
I thought Diggs would really break out last season, hopefully he does this season. Walsh has held off Levenberry to start the season which is impressive. He's had an interesting career and he is a big part of the defense. Joseph is a solid contributor as well. This position went from deep to somewhat thin in a hurry with graduations. Stay healthy my friends.
Defensive Backfield:
Williams and Summers are a very good pair at cornerback. This is a team that needs to generate turnovers and hopefully Summers can replicate his magic in 2015. I'm not sure I agree with Diaco that Obi is the best safety in the country - but he's a good player and if he limits the mistakes he can have a very good season. Not to sound like a broken record, but there is some risk here if they have to play the backups. I wish McAllister was a RSo instead of Jr - but you can't change the past. The safeties seem light but hopefully they stop the run up front well enough that they don't call on the DBs to make a lot of tackles.
Green has kept grinding - will be good to seem him get some run. I don't have any idea what they have in guys like Terry and Robinson. Maybe Garland will push his way onto the 2-deep yet.
Overall Defense:
A lot of guys who make can an impact as starters. A lot of questions for me on the depth. It's been similar to the Edsall era with the bend and don't break which I'm fine with - but this is a defense that needs to stay healthy and may need to get off the field faster than last year. Hopefully an improved offense will help increase time of possession and protect them some.
Specialists:
Puyol is fine. Just let him kick and give Tarbutt three years to play.
Wain has been a bit of a roller coaster - if he's consistent he can be a weapon.
We know the one true freshman who has to contribute is Zecchino - hopefully he plays 52+ straight games.
I don't have anything to say about punt returns beyond I'm interested to see what happens. Newsome and McAllister are certainly talented enough to make big plays on kick returns if the blocking is there.
Coaching:
I think Diaco is here as long as he wants to be. He has amazing energy and he does a great job as the face of the program.
I like that Diaco isn't afraid to think out of the box, but I hope he doesn't go overboard at times (i.e. Missouri).
He certainly has a type he is looking to recruit - I hope that they start to close more of the players they after against bigger programs. If you look at who they offer it's much different than the last two regimes in the quantity of players they go after and the schools they are recruiting against.
Will be interesting to see if any consistency at the offensive coordinator slot helps the offense along. There has been such turnover over the last half decade that it has held the offense back some.
Diaco and Poindexter can obviously scheme a defense - if they are healthy they will be solid.
There is a lot of pressure on Cummings because the line has been so dismal for so long.
