Biggest Concerns?

My concern is that the team has not had enough time in the system yet to be proficient and efficient at it enough to run it effectively. 

Then they get get into the season and start losing confidence. 

 
Toe said:
OL. Which has been my biggest concern for the last few years, really. I think we have great guys in terms of potential, and I expect them to show plenty of improvement this year. But the problem is they were so far down under Riley that they could show huge improvement this year and still kinda suck.
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With Decker in, I actually think they were underrated. Only 1 sack against Ohio St and Wisconsin combined, and that's protecting Tanner Lee. Bryant could run behind them when others couldn't.

I think the line is bigger, better technique, infinitely better call system and far more help from their teammates. I'm worried about tackle depth but confident in the starting five.

 
My biggest fear? That the sunshine pump has been working overtime and things are not as rosy as they appear. The team experiences some adversity early and reverts to their defeatist ways. The S&C gains have been exaggerated. The lines haven't improved. The untested QB's are not ready for primetime. Those would be my deepest fears however I just can't see them coming to fruition. I already know for a fact that this team has a better attitude, will play harder and is coached better than whatever the heck that was last year.

Sorry, couldn't keep the Kool-Aid stowed away for the length of a short paragraph.

 
In order:

OT - If either of our starters go down, I think there's a decent drop to the #2 guys. 

CB - I think we have some athletes and they will make some plays being aggressive.  I also think they'll get burned some.  The question is which will happen more often

QB - Not sure if "concerned" is quite the right term.  I think we have two guys who are capable of making the offense work.  I think Frost will put together a game plan to make them successful. But there will be some mistakes - especially turnovers.  I think either will make enough good plays to be an overall positive but there will probably be an ill-timed turnover in a big game that will have people saying "we could have won that game if not for...."

Not concerned about:

LBs - we have a lot of guys who can play

Interior OL - You can always use more depth but I think we have three solid starters and 1 or maybe 2 backups that can do a nice job.  That's pretty good for this era.

DL - We are at least six deep here - and maybe 1-2 more

RB - We'll see a HUGE upgrade in the dynamic ability of this position and their production will shock some

WR - Our starters are about as good as anyone in the conference and our second line is set up to do well in this offense

Safeties - We actually have really good depth here

Special Teams - Not worried here.  A different attitude will make all the difference in the world.  And we are suddenly stocked at Safety and Linebacker which makes for great special teams.  Plus choices for return guys.

 
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Mavric said:
In order:

OT - If either of our starters go down, I think there's a decent drop to the #2 guys. 

CB - I think we have some athletes and they will make some plays being aggressive.  I also think they'll get burned some.  The question is which will happen more often

QB - Not sure if "concerned" is quite the right term.  I think we have two guys who are capable of making the offense work.  I think Frost will put together a game plan to make them successful. But there will be some mistakes - especially turnovers.  I think either will make enough good plays to be an overall positive but there will probably be an ill-timed turnover in a big game that will have people saying "we could have won that game if not for...."

Not concerned about:

LBs - we have a lot of guys who can play

Interior OL - You can always use more depth but I think we have three solid starters and 1 or maybe 2 backups that can do a nice job.  That's pretty good for this era.

DL - We are at least six deep here - and maybe 1-2 more

RB - We'll see a HUGE upgrade in the dynamic ability of this position and their production will shock some

WR - Our starters are about as good as anyone in the conference and our second line is set up to do well in this offense

Safeties - We actually have really good depth here

Special Teams - Not worried here.  A different attitude will make all the difference in the world.  And we are suddenly stocked at Safety and Linebacker which makes for great special teams.  Plus choices for return guys.
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This seems like a really good summary. If I'd modify anything at all it would be at the QB position. I think we've probably got the good 1-2 guys you mentioned but I think (based on nothing but my gut) we could even get by going 3 deep without a huge dropoff. We might lose some "Wow" plays once we get beyond number one but I think all 3 can operate the offense at a much higher level than we saw last year. Granted that may not be saying much but it should look much better. And yes, I expect quite a few youthful, lack of experience mistakes. I think we'll have those all over the field everywhere but I also think we'll be functioning at a much higher level in between those brain farts. It should be exciting to watch and a pretty good rollercoaster ride.

 
melscott62 said:
I think people are missing my point here a tad.  I literally think that's the only thing to worry about.  As long as people are being reasonable I think we are in good hands.

And let's not kid ourselves that there won't be numerous fans complaining.
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And I might be one.  But I will never get mad at someone for expecting to be excellent at football every single year.  I also am not ever worried about people that think that way.  The program wouldn’t be where it is if there wasn’t people with this thought.  I bet you Frost doesn’t think he should lose any game this year.

 
brophog said:
With Decker in, I actually think they were underrated. Only 1 sack against Ohio St and Wisconsin combined, and that's protecting Tanner Lee. Bryant could run behind them when others couldn't.
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I know you've been fanboy-ing Bryant all over the place, but the OL's complete and utter inability to execute basic techniques like pulling had nothing to do with Bryant being in or not. They could stand there and pass block decently enough - it was Riley & Langsdorf's top priority after all - but that was about it.

 
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I remember last year being happy to see Jaylin Bradley get some touches, because i wanted to see the Nebraska kid succeed. I also remember him being hit almost immediately after he got the ball, on many plays, giving him little chance to do anything. When he did have some room to run he did pretty well. None of the running backs are going to do well without better blocking.

 
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RedDenver said:
Your biggest fear should be high-rise windows. Trust me.
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Hahaha. High-rise windows, watches with clasps that come off to easily, Christmas packing tape, misplaced detonators, hard-to-get bonds and guys that are partial to Roy Rogers movies

And that damn dad from Family Matters. I have a feeling he had something to do with the whole situation.

 
4skers89 said:
The past 3 years of Riley S&C will be evident.
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I think the talent is there on both sides. I think Frost and his staff will maximize their potential. I just don't expect that to happen right away. This is worse than when Pelini took over for Callahan. He arguably inherited more talent than Frost.

 
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Big Red 40 said:
If I had a concern it would be with the offensive line . If they do their job well it makes everything work . We have a stable of good backs , a couple good qbs, and great receivers . If the blocking allows  them time and space to make plays,  our offense will be scary good . Depth at the ol positions isn’t great either and that’s a concern . I trust frost and crew to get this entire team playing at a high level so I’m really not that concerned . Damn I’m just excited to see this team and coaching staff in action  ! GBR 
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