What need to be some of the main areas of focus for improvement this off-season? QB is obvious.
I would say Wide Receivers need to be developed, (Antonio Bell??? - any news?) It is my opinion that we will not take nearly as great of a step back in this area as people are afraid of, mainly due to the nature of our offense and the increased emphasis on the running game. However we NEED that guy we can throw to in the corner of the endzone to make a huge play for us. Understandably, though, WR development will probably directly mirror Quarterback development.
Next they need to focus on the secondary. Our corners need to be able to create interceptions in this pass heavy Big12 next year. We are bringing in a ton of new guys, including Gomes for spring ball. Our secondary was so vastly improved this last year, IMO, but we need consistency from our Safety positions. Who will fill Murillo's shoes? Blue? West? Amukumara? Gomes? Dennard? Redshirt player? Also, we always hear about Wald's hard hitting tendencies...will we see him on the field on defense?
We need to spend some time focused on our linebackers. Several people switched to that position this year (kyler reed, Matt May). I feel like we will have a ton of depth and athletecism at that position and now everyone there needs to completely understand assignments. A lot of people have confidence in this position, but who is going to cover sideline to sideline for us and put some big hits back in the game?? I didn't see a lot of pancakes this year from our LB position, even though i was more than satisfied with guys who stepped in.
We need to develop a long snapper for next year.
Also, We NEED to spend time on our kick-off coverage. Everytime we scored it left me uneasy that they were going to return it all the way. This area needs some work.
And I know that most people feel our D-line will be a strength next year, we have to keep in mind that we are losing half of the men on the line. How will replacements mesh? Suh and Steinkuler definitely complimented each other a ton, and we need to develop that same kind of relationship on the interior. And yes, Barry Turner might return, but he has been out for an entire year. How much was he a part of the growth that happened at DL this year? Was he right in the middle of he development as an observer and player-coach, or will we take a step back until he catches up? We had very little substitution this year on our DL, now we will have more depth, so how are they going to keep everyone happy? Also, Allen played very well this year, but Potter was a Captain and vocal leader...will that aspect be replaced? I think we have a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but who will be our quarterback back there leading the charge and firing up the guys? Who will be a leader like Potter was on the DL? If Suh comes back he will naturally lead that charge I would think. I think Steinkuler and Potter's departure will be huge, then if Suh leaves we will really be needing to develop talent at this area.
DL and secondary are the two major focus areas I see for next year.
I would say Wide Receivers need to be developed, (Antonio Bell??? - any news?) It is my opinion that we will not take nearly as great of a step back in this area as people are afraid of, mainly due to the nature of our offense and the increased emphasis on the running game. However we NEED that guy we can throw to in the corner of the endzone to make a huge play for us. Understandably, though, WR development will probably directly mirror Quarterback development.
Next they need to focus on the secondary. Our corners need to be able to create interceptions in this pass heavy Big12 next year. We are bringing in a ton of new guys, including Gomes for spring ball. Our secondary was so vastly improved this last year, IMO, but we need consistency from our Safety positions. Who will fill Murillo's shoes? Blue? West? Amukumara? Gomes? Dennard? Redshirt player? Also, we always hear about Wald's hard hitting tendencies...will we see him on the field on defense?
We need to spend some time focused on our linebackers. Several people switched to that position this year (kyler reed, Matt May). I feel like we will have a ton of depth and athletecism at that position and now everyone there needs to completely understand assignments. A lot of people have confidence in this position, but who is going to cover sideline to sideline for us and put some big hits back in the game?? I didn't see a lot of pancakes this year from our LB position, even though i was more than satisfied with guys who stepped in.
We need to develop a long snapper for next year.
Also, We NEED to spend time on our kick-off coverage. Everytime we scored it left me uneasy that they were going to return it all the way. This area needs some work.
And I know that most people feel our D-line will be a strength next year, we have to keep in mind that we are losing half of the men on the line. How will replacements mesh? Suh and Steinkuler definitely complimented each other a ton, and we need to develop that same kind of relationship on the interior. And yes, Barry Turner might return, but he has been out for an entire year. How much was he a part of the growth that happened at DL this year? Was he right in the middle of he development as an observer and player-coach, or will we take a step back until he catches up? We had very little substitution this year on our DL, now we will have more depth, so how are they going to keep everyone happy? Also, Allen played very well this year, but Potter was a Captain and vocal leader...will that aspect be replaced? I think we have a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but who will be our quarterback back there leading the charge and firing up the guys? Who will be a leader like Potter was on the DL? If Suh comes back he will naturally lead that charge I would think. I think Steinkuler and Potter's departure will be huge, then if Suh leaves we will really be needing to develop talent at this area.
DL and secondary are the two major focus areas I see for next year.
