5 Fall Camp Questions on both sides of the ball

[ScubaCane]

Our lines will be our undoing

 

[bshaw28]

Year you are right, still can’t have that though either way

Totally get the concern over Deejay's play, and no question he has things he needs to improve this year. I just feel like he's made plenty of big plays too, and is getting a little overlooked.

Between poor play calling, poor QB play, poor OL play, Richards getting hurt, Thomas "leaving" the team - Deejay's fumbling problems were just one more thing to add to a huge list of offensive problems last year.

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

Jaquan played a ton with jenk & Carter.

I think he was mostly playing nickle with them, but I agree with your larger point that Jaquan had played meaningful snaps in the secondary before taking over at safety. His instincts and smarts back there are undervalued by some fans.

Diaz/Baker put a lot of pressure on those safeties (and especially the field safety). Those guys might have the toughest job on our defense. But I'm not all that concerned considering the athletes that we have stepping in. Between Hall, Carter, and Bolden, I'm fairly confident the back end will be covered.

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

I guess we all have different definitions of beast. But the one most commonly heard is that regardless what attributes they, they show up every game, particularly when the competition steps up. I'm sure he'll continue to improve. We shall see if he plays like a beast in the ACC championship game of bowl season.

When 90% of the running plays your coach calls are inside handoffs on first or second down, your QB isn't scaring any secondary you face all year, and your OL isn't getting any push in the running game, 6 rushing TDs and 617 rushing yards on 109 carries (5.66 YPC) is pretty **** good.

He also sheds tackles like a beast. I was trying to find yards after contact and broken tackles stats for him, because my eyes tell me he excels there, but I couldn't find any. But I know he broke 5 **** tackles in his punt return TD against Pitt (in the ACC) last year. And I remember a couple of runs against UNC where he broke at least 3 or 4 tackles (the first one usually in the backfield). Add what he does receiving and on special teams to that, and yeah, DeeJay is a beast of a football player, especially considering he's a rising junior.

 

[NorthEastCane]

When 90% of the running plays your coach calls are inside handoffs on first or second down, your QB isn't scaring any secondary you face all year, and your OL isn't getting any push in the running game, 6 rushing TDs and 617 rushing yards on 109 carries (5.66 YPC) is pretty **** good.

He also sheds tackles like a beast. I was trying to find yards after contact and broken tackles stats for him, because my eyes tell me he excels there, but I couldn't find any. But I know he broke 5 **** tackles in his punt return TD against Pitt (in the ACC) last year. And I remember a couple of runs against UNC where he broke at least 3 or 4 tackles (the first one usually in the backfield). Add what he does receiving and on special teams to that, and yeah, DeeJay is a beast of a football player, especially considering he's a rising junior.

I get all that. I just think we're a bit too casual labelling people beasts.

What you're talking about used to be common place around here. Maybe it's been too long since we've seen one. The last ones at that position that would approach that were Duke Johnson or Lamar Miller. Although they became second team All Conference, they were still a notch below All American (e.g., Gore, McGahee, Edgerin James etal). Are you ready to put him on that level?

 

[Tee3000]

That's only your opinion.

Sean Taylor and Jerome Brown brought it every week (just to name a couple). I believe we both can agree they were beasts.

I’d call those guys monsters..lol..Agree to disagree..it is what it is.

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

I get all that. I just think we're a bit too casual labelling people beasts.

What you're talking about used to be common place around here. Maybe it's been too long since we've seen one. The last ones at that position that would approach that were Duke Johnson or Lamar Miller. Although they became second team All Conference, they were still a notch below All American (e.g., Gore, McGahee, Edgerin James etal). Are you ready to put him on that level?

It looks like we may have different definitions of the word "beast." To me, style of play factors into that particular label. Barry Sanders is the best RB I have ever seen play football with my own eyes, and a total freak of nature, but I think Marshawn Lynch was more of a beast with the ball in his hands.

DeeJay, who breaks tons of tackles and is rarely brought down by initial contact (and who has been fending off tacklers in the backfield his entire collegiate career) and does so many different things right on the field, qualifies as a beast in my book.

To your question, he has not proven to be All Conference or All American level yet, so I wouldn't/couldn't call him that (yet). And at this point, he's not on the level of Gore, McGahee, Edge, Ottis Anderson, Bratton, Portis, Duke, Miller, Jackson, Najeh, etc...

 

[rayray]

the two big ones for me are this:

1. if the offensive line is bad vs the gators, can butch berry get the unit to move past it and grow into a line that doesn't hamstring the offense for the entire season? we're opening the season in a big game and hostile environment with a new coach, new OC, new center, new players all over the line and potentially a new QB versus the best defense we'll face in the regular season. it wouldn't surprise me if the o line flops in game 1, but it can't drag down the whole season.

2. both our current depth chart and recent recruiting lean heavily towards blurring the lines between safety, nickel corner, and outside linebacker... do we see an evolution in manny's defense to mitigate our complete lack of depth at LB and address the shape of our defensive roster going forward? is someone like amari carter a safety, or a sort of positionless back 7 player who moves around the field and can help mask whatever deficiencies we might have at LB after the 3 seniors? and is this where players like gilbert frierson, derrick smith, keyshawn washington etc are headed? another way of putting this question is like this: is manny looking at a future of football where you don't have one "striker" on the field but 2 or 3 or 4?

despite the hysteria from many porsters on this board, this outcome was pretty predictable. not many factors in the o line's favor going into the UF game. let's see what butch berry can do...