The Bank (8/15) (Camp Edition)

[BeastMode]

Last year we played majority two deep or single high safety and we got blitzed in the run and pass. We sat back playing passive and still got bombed because we blew coverages. If that’s the case what’s the point of sitting back?

CB and safety never seemed to be on the same page all year. Would rather see man coverage with safety help or all man while blitzing. At least then the secondary knows their responsibility.

 

[The Sphinx]

What's Moss weighing now? 220?

I really hope he’s at 220

 

[E1k]

The only place where he was bad was at Kentucky with a HC who hates throwing the Ball.

Dawson has had Five 3,000+ yard passers throughout his tenure with two of them being over 4,000yds (Geno Smith & Clayton Thune). He even turned Clint Trickett into a 3,000yd passer & had Nick Mullens slinging it at Southern Miss.

I can't speak to his ability to recruit & develop a QB, but if you give him an established passer the likes of TVD he should do pretty well with him.

Small sample size, he was let go two times without dana. His best years are under dana, not taking anything away from him he deserves credit too but i think its fair to want to see how he operates on his own again.

I do think he will do well here, its kinda hard to completely fail on offense like we did last year.

 

[grover]

The only place where he was bad was at Kentucky with a HC who hates throwing the Ball.

Dawson has had Five 3,000+ yard passers throughout his tenure with two of them being over 4,000yds (Geno Smith & Clayton Thune). He even turned Clint Trickett into a 3,000yd passer & had Nick Mullens slinging it at Southern Miss.

I can't speak to his ability to recruit & develop a QB, but if you give him an established passer the likes of TVD he should do pretty well with him.

You are really making it hard for me to try to stay measured about our season.

 

[JHallCanes]

I’m not saying we’ll have an elite run D but Guidry had a great run D at Marshall. Just go watch the ND game where his undersized defense held up fine against that massive ND OL.

Here’s the facts , we won’t be running a passive , conservative D like last year. We’ll attack and have the numbers advantage a good amount of the time. That alone will help make up for no big space fillers on the DL. We’ll be bringing pressure and much more aggressive. It’s about alignments and confusion around the los.

There’ll be plays we get out of lanes , or blitz away from the run causing long runs but as a whole I think we hold up ok. With our pass rush I would be fine being a middle of the pack run D.

The only reason people are freaked out about the run D is we’ve had multiple scrimmages where the offense ran the ball well. Btw I get the concerns but I also trust LG and his scheme. The d will play downhill.

Good stuff

Our OL is suddenly a strength of the team and it’s good we are running it well

Something Guidry said a couple weeks ago stuck out to me and it was refreshing to hear. He said they were still in the process of seeing what the guys on defense did best

So it also stands to reason they could just be a tick behind, if you could even call it that. He said it feels like they like to come downhill and attack so that’s what I’m going to have them do

Big fan of the guy already

 

[dolpterry]

D - good stuff, as usual.

Regarding McCoy, was listening to the Flo post scrimmage report and one of the people on there (maybe Flo?) mentioned that McCoy lined up next to Kinsler on a few plays at RG. Is this correct or did I hear wrong? I was always under the impression that McCoy was pure tackle and looks like Bruno is as well? Would love to see Bruno at guard some since we seem to have a plethora of tackles (Zion, Francis, Samson, McCoy) but not enough guards.

McCoy is huge and can play both guard and tackle. And yes, he did play some guard in the game.

 

[NCCanefan]

Yeah y’all getting drunk on the juice.

We are undefeated! Of course, so is everyone else.

 

[Pentagon Cane]

Don't you dare undersell Anez Cooper, sir. There were moments last season where he flashed the most talent of anyone on the field. What did he do this offseason? Completely re-work his body and conditioning while remaining 6' 5ish" 330ish. May we pull and trap people to absolute death this season. I want to see us do to opponents what FSU did to us in '22.

I'm not but I am guarded. At his weight last season he looked slow footed at times. He was also lost at times when teams stunted.

He has most definitely significantly improved his body. Hard working kid and smart he ought to be much improved overall. Lots of upside. If he is ready good this year, then we are cooking with gas on the interior and will be as good as anybody in nation.

 

[NCCanefan]

Without anything else he would be a RS Soph next year, he is a RS Fresh this year. I agree he needs two seasons but if he blows up next year I could see him dipping. RB's have a short shelf life in the NFL. Once you hit 30 unless your name is Frank Gore you have a younger wave coming behind you. Basically I dont see how we keep him for 4 years now in any scenario.

I think the NFL now wants you younger coming out and with fewer miles on you. If you have a breakout year, you don't need a second one to get drafted.

 

[NCCanefan]

You think Moten and Horton will play meaningful snaps this year? I think both are a year away

Aaron donald is 6'1" and weighs 284. I realize he's in a class by himself but it isn't all weight at D line

 

[Cookie917]

I think the NFL now wants you younger coming out and with fewer miles on you. If you have a breakout year, you don't need a second one to get drafted.

Yup thats why I said if he has a breakout year I can see him dipping. I was saying I think he needs 2 because with our RB by committee approach the first two years under Mario I am unsure if that happens, even assuming it wont take him a year to get back to playing shape (physically and mentally)

 

[DC3]

Aaron donald is 6'1" and weighs 284. I realize he's in a class by himself but it isn't all weight at D line

Didn't realize the Rams only use 1 person on their Dline. Thanks for this info

 

[NCCanefan]

Didn't realize the Rams only use 1 person on their Dline. Thanks for this info

Be sure to keep your day job if you have one

 

[DC3]

Be sure to keep your day job if you have one

Do a bit of google search next time and look at the size next to him that allows him to do what he does. 320+ on both sides with a scheme that lets him do him.

 

[NCCanefan]

Our top WR last year had 370 yards. If the feedback we're getting is nobody is really standing out I would imagine that means this is going to be a weak unit again, which is a problem.

Bite my head off all you want but it's a massive problem that this didn't get fixed and it's going to cost us games if the unit is below average a

I'm back from vacation and still getting my legs under me. But here is the latest. For convenience, I've separated the recruiting scoop (available here) from the team scoop. This is the latest from Greentree:

- After an uneven beginning to camp, QB Tyler Van Dyke has begun to turn it on. I am told he's looked unbelievable the last ten days and is really blossoming in the new offense.

- The buzz on QB Emory Williams is real, and he is pushing hard for the backup spot. The stock on QB Jacurri Brown is down after a bad scrimmage, but these things change quickly and some of his best attributes don't show without QBs going live. This is an ongoing battle.

- In the past, when I focused on RB Mark Fletcher and RB Ajay Allen on the Bank or the Podcast, some folks felt I was ignoring the more experienced talent. But there was a reason I focused on those two- they have been the two best backs all offseason and flashed huge in the scrimmage. Of course, the true test for a running back is the game, but both of these guys are generating buzz with coaches and players.

- Miami is extremely pleased with the first-team OL after the scrimmage. The next three up are likely OT Matthew McCoy, OT Samson Okunlola and OG Logan Sagapolu. I've talked about McCoy a bunch in the past, and the hype from the Hecht is only building. He is one of the biggest OL on the team and has even played some tight end with numbers down due to (minor) soft tissue injuries. They think McCoy, Mauigoa, Samson and Kinsler all have big NFL futures if they keep working. The biggest concern with the OL remains backup center.

- Wide receiver still lacks a proven #1 but is an improved group. The clear top three are Colbie Young, Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George. George is having his most consistent camp of his career and is clearly feeling the competition. If he stays strong off the field, he could be in for a big year. The next two names to watch are Tyler Harrell (speedy with inconsistent but improving hands) and RayRay Joseph (still working hard on his hands as a former RB, but deadly after the catch).

- Leonard Taylor is having a very strong camp. Branson Deen is a high-motor, twitchy player who causes a lot of disruption. Our weakness up front will be big OLs and physical running games. Our strength will be the interior pass rush. Akeem Mesidor, Nyjalik Kelly and Reuben Bain are the top names to know on the edge, although Jayden Wayne is flashing more consistently than spring and pressing for real playing time. If Joshua Horton had been here in spring, he may have already been in the two-deep. Ahmad Moten is a legitimate talent but needs more consistency.

- Competition has elevated the linebacker room. Francisco Maugoia is an unquestioned starter and KJ Cloyd and Wesley Bissainthe are battling hard. Guys like Corey Flagg and Keontra Smith are playing their best ball since the new regime took over and look to provide solid depth. Of the true freshman, I'm told Popo Aguirre and Marcelles Pulliam have been very consistent with Aguirre the furthest ahead.

- Defensive back is the biggest area to watch on defense. Jaden Davis has been very consistent and profiles the best at nickel. He will play a lot. The Brown Brothers (Devonte and Damari) have the inside track to start outside, with Daryl Porter pushing them. Tecory Couch is also in the mix in the nickel and outside. Jadais Richard, like Davis, is likely going to serve as a Swiss Army knife to plug holes in multiple spots. He may be our third best option at safety. Don't read much into James Williams not playing the first snaps at safety- he is a starter along with Kam Kinchens.

- In general, I continue to hear great things about Lance Guidry. He is going to cause a lot of problems for ACC offenses.

Lots of guys on hereargiung the extreme optimism and pessimism positions. Vegas has us at 7.5 for a reason because it balances the ups and downs. personally, I think health at a few key positions will tell the tale. With a decent run game and a non idiot OC, TVD should light it up, esp if he and his trusted guy Restrepo stay healthy. Huge upgrades at LB (funny that the same guys blast inexperience and then blast experienced portal guys) and probably an inferior cb group, but maybe not.

If I had two guess on season wins, I'd pick 8 and 7, but is possible if stay healthy. A couple key injuries and we'll be wishing we had won 7.

 

[rok]

Tripp was brought here to play center. Is he practicing?

 

[LuCane]

I'm not but I am guarded. At his weight last season he looked slow footed at times. He was also lost at times when teams stunted.

He has most definitely significantly improved his body. Hard working kid and smart he ought to be much improved overall. Lots of upside. If he is ready good this year, then we are cooking with gas on the interior and will be as good as anybody in nation.

I think there are levels to "feet" and while he may not be at Mauigoa (I'm really how many are) or Tinsler (think people are going to be wow'd) levels, Cooper has disproportionately light feet for someone who likely played at or above 350 pounds last season.

I expect him to hold that RG spot this year. If healthy, that would put him at double digit career starts half way through his true Soph season.

 

[Memnon]

You are really making it hard for me to try to stay measured about our season.

Well all I'm really saying is that there will be improvements on both sides of the Ball & that we have enough talent on the roster to not be 5-7.

We still have weaknesses particularly in the Secondary in defending the Deep ball.

And its still unknown how much Mario will have input on the overall Offense or if he's turning the keys over completely to Dawson.

But my whole point really, is unless Mario is a complete fck up, it would be really really difficult to not win at least 8 games this year.

 

[DTP]

Small sample size, he was let go two times without dana. His best years are under dana, not taking anything away from him he deserves credit too but i think its fair to want to see how he operates on his own again.

I do think he will do well here, its kinda hard to completely fail on offense like we did last year.

We had similar discussions about Rhett Lashlee, a guy who had spent 90% of his career under Gus Malzahn and 5% under Sonny Dykes. His only stop without either of those guys was two seasons at UCONN.

Guys have to start on their own at some point even though they'll likely be doing a lot of the same things they were doing under mentors anyway. Lincoln Riley never worked without Bob Stoops until he did.

I do agree that it would be hard to totally drop the ball here. Improving on last year's offense isn't asking much at all. If they're even "pretty good" it would be a huge jump.

 

[grover]

Well all I'm really saying is that there will be improvements on both sides of the Ball & that we have enough talent on the roster to not be 5-7.

We still have weaknesses particularly in the Secondary in defending the Deep ball.

And its still unknown how much Mario will have input on the overall Offense or if he's turning the keys over completely to Dawson.

But my whole point really, is unless Mario is a complete fck up, it would be really really difficult to not win at least 8 games this year.

Okay, so I'm right there with you at 8 wins and hopefully more. I personally feel we have more talent than 9 of the teams we play, maybe even 10 (I'm not as big a believer in FSU as some on here). That's assuming TVD plays like he did vs the back 7 in 2021. But with all the staff and roster turnover, I expect us to lose a game or two we shouldn't.