2nd Year Player development

motorcitycane

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Dec 10, 2012
Messages
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What type of improvement are you guys looking to see from our 2nd year players in 2017?

Including our RS guys and guys who didnt play as much....
 
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I am looking to see noticeably positive improvement, as opposed to negligible, unremarkable improvement, personally.
 
I expect the DL to murder some QBs on the field.

And I expect the OL to greatly improve

Do just those two things and I'm a very happy person.
 
Well, you'll be hardpressed to find a Freshmen class that outperformed ours this past season, therefore I expect some serious ***-kicking by these guys.
 
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- Improvement in coverage from the Tres Amigos
- More explosion/agility from Ahmmon
- Haskins/Cager to step up. Would open up the slot for Berrios, JT, and Mullins and would also help transition in our new QB.
- Finley to become a serviceable SS.
 
Homer will get at least 100 carries as the RB2 & should get anywhere from 400-600yds with a few TD's.

Ahmmon "the YG" will continue to ascend to legendary Cane status & will score WAAAY more TD's.
He's already one of the top 5 WR's in the nation & he's just scratching the surface.

Need to see Mullins finally get on the field & ball out, he can be a really good player for us, whatever he was behind in last year he should be caught up on by now. I expect for him to have good season & be a solid weapon in this offense.

Haskins has through the roof potential, he just needs to stay outta Richt's sight for the next 6 months lol. But that kid could be the next in the long line of pure beasts at #TEU, he'll play a big role as the TE2 behind Herndon, hope he's ready to go.

Irvin(g) has terrific hands & is natural baller, we all know the Playmaker has taught him all the tools of the trade in route running, he was pretty impressive in Fall camp last year with some of the catches he made, I also think he'll get plenty of snaps this season in the 2nd TE spot.

On Defense, Joseph Jackson will have a 10+ sack season book it.
Also, looking forward to see Bethel, Tyreic Martin & Scott Patchan stay healthy and get on the field when needed.

The LB Corp will solidify themselves as the best in the nation.

I think Malek Young will be a baller for us, especially with Delaney & Dean coming in, he'll be able to play as a boundary Corner & a NCB... I see him playing in a similar role to what Elder did last year, not saying he's as good, but I think his tackling ability is what Diaz will trust the most.

Hoping to see Romeo Finley play well, I think Rome will be in competition with Amari til Fall for that SS spot, but both can be good as our in-Box Safety.

Hope to see Jeff James step up and play, he'll be a backup, but I just wanna see what he can do.
 
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1.) Lawrence Cager at 6'5" 220lbs is going to make our WR unit unstoppable

2.) Travis Homer having a breakout season

3.) McCloud, Quarterman, and Pinckney the monSTARS!! :rickflair2:
 
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I just can't wait to see a more disciplined football team because they have been under this coaching staff for a good time now.
 
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I'm just excited to see a team that's better than they were last year because they're being coached and have learned more than they knew. Seems simple, but the last 2 coaches struggled to get more out of individuals and the team than they got the year before.
 
Zach McCloud will have an All-American like year. His growth last year is unreal.
Go back and watch a game in the first half of the season. Then go back and watch the WVU game, kid took leaps throughout the season. I expect him and Joe Jackson to be known around college football homes everywhere.
 
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I want to see the offensive linemen get better. I been re-watching all the games last year and it's amazing how many blocks they missed. Joe Yearby missed so many blocks too the times he was out there. I think that was the main reason he wasn't getting love from the staff. But he's gone now so whatever.
 
Also curious to see how Allison looks, this Spring could be huge for him, if he's ever gonna be the starter he better kill it this Spring & carry momentum into the Fall.

I was just talking about this with a buddy of mine. I'm really curious to see how Allison plays this Spring. I told my friend that if Allison doesn't take the reins now, he never will.

In terms of player development, I expect it to be similar to the way it was under Davis. In other words I expect noticable positive improvement from one year to the next. We have not had that here in a very long time. Specifically, I expect the OL to make a significant leap this year. I also expect the DL to dominant and to resemble some of the best DLs we have had here. Chad Thomas and Joe Jackson should have AA type seasons and the interior of McIntosh, Norton and Willis should also take a significant step forward in their development. The depth here is outstanding.

I expect the Bermuda Triangle 2.0 to make a huge jump going into their sophomore year after all of the experience they accrued last year and how well they all played. The depth should also be much improved with Owens having another offseason to recover from his injury and the continued maturity of Smith and Perry. It will be interesting to see if Jamie Gordonier is anywhere close to coming back in the Fall. This front 7 could be the best in the nation.

In the secondary I expect a huge jump from Malek Young at CB as he came on very strong toward the end of last year. I also think we are going to see a breakout type year from Jaquan Johnson as he will have a much bigger role going into his Junior year. Hopefully we see the light come on for either Mike Jackson or Redwine as that would give us that much more flexibility with coverages. Also if we can get solid contributions from Jeff James, Romeo Finley and Robert Knowles we will be that much better. I feel very good about our CB situation with Young, Dean, Delaney and Bandy but it is our situation at safety that holds the key here. If we can find another dependable safety to pair with JJ and get generally solid to good play from the position, it will be the difference between our defense being very good and being elite.

Switching gears back to offense I believe we will see Mark Walton really put it all together and make his name as a highly productive player rushing, receiving and blocking. Homer should also take the next step as his role will undoubtedly expand going into his sophomore season. At TE I expect Chris Herndon to take full advantage of Njoku's absence and have his breakout type year. I also expect Michael Irving Jr to make his name known and complement Herndon to form a very effective and productive TE duo. The wildcard here is obviously Jovani Haskins. If he can stay focused and out of Richt's doghouse he has the ability to make UM's TE corps the deepest in the ACC despite their youth and inexperience.

At WR I expect Ahmon Richards to explode but that is somewhat contingent on the QB situation. Even with that said, Richards should make himself into a household name this year. Barring injury I expect Braxton Berrios to have a good solid productive year unless he is completely passed up by true freshmen Thomas and Harley. To me the wildcard here is Lawrence Cager. Cager showed as a true freshman that he can play at this level and be productive. He displayed the ability to be an effective possession receiver. If Cager is fully recovered​ from the torn ACL he suffered last Spring he could play a crucial role in the red zone in addition to being a good safety valve for our next QB especially on 3rd down. Dionte Mullins is another interesting piece of the puzzle. Mullins was a highly recruited WR but due to qualifying late he spend all of last year learning the playbook. It will be very interesting to see how far along he is this spring and how he will fit in to the offense. As is the quartet of Richards, Berrios, Cager and Mullins has the collective ability to be extremely productive. What makes me even more comfortable with this group is the fact that the three freshmen Harley, Thomas and Dallas are polished enough to be able to contribute immediately. Dallas may end up playing safety or CB but we'll see.

Finally at QB what we have this Spring is a 4 man battle between Rosier, Sherriffs, Allison and Weldon with Perry not arriving until May. This position battle will determine our season and frankly I haven't the slightest clue as to who has the upper hand. Like I stated before, I believe that if Jack Allison ever wants to be the starting quarterback at UM he must make his move NOW. Rosier has the most experience obviously but the question with him is his passing accuracy. Weldon has many tools but he is just a true freshman. Shireffs is an accurate passer with a high football IQ but does he have the requesite athleticism to run the RPO based offense Richt wants? Jack Allison has a cannon and is a decent athlete but does he have the consistency and command of the offense needed? It seriously wouldn't surprise me if none of the above succeeded in separating themselves from the pack and Nkosi Perry comes in May and takes the job. We will see. The positional battles this Spring will be fascinating to watch.

Sorry for the insanely long post. I just got going and couldn't seem to stop.
 
Also curious to see how Allison looks, this Spring could be huge for him, if he's ever gonna be the starter he better kill it this Spring & carry momentum into the Fall.

I was just talking about this with a buddy of mine. I'm really curious to see how Allison plays this Spring. I told my friend that if Allison doesn't take the reins now, he never will.

In terms of player development, I expect it to be similar to the way it was under Davis. In other words I expect noticable positive improvement from one year to the next. We have not had that here in a very long time. Specifically, I expect the OL to make a significant leap this year. I also expect the DL to dominant and to resemble some of the best DLs we have had here. Chad Thomas and Joe Jackson should have AA type seasons and the interior of McIntosh, Norton and Willis should also take a significant step forward in their development. The depth here is outstanding.

I expect the Bermuda Triangle 2.0 to make a huge jump going into their sophomore year after all of the experience they accrued last year and how well they all played. The depth should also be much improved with Owens having another offseason to recover from his injury and the continued maturity of Smith and Perry. It will be interesting to see if Jamie Gordonier is anywhere close to coming back in the Fall. This front 7 could be the best in the nation.

In the secondary I expect a huge jump from Malek Young at CB as he came on very strong toward the end of last year. I also think we are going to see a breakout type year from Jaquan Johnson as he will have a much bigger role going into his Junior year. Hopefully we see the light come on for either Mike Jackson or Redwine as that would give us that much more flexibility with coverages. Also if we can get solid contributions from Jeff James, Romeo Finley and Robert Knowles we will be that much better. I feel very good about our CB situation with Young, Dean, Delaney and Bandy but it is our situation at safety that holds the key here. If we can find another dependable safety to pair with JJ and get generally solid to good play from the position, it will be the difference between our defense being very good and being elite.

Switching gears back to offense I believe we will see Mark Walton really put it all together and make his name as a highly productive player rushing, receiving and blocking. Homer should also take the next step as his role will undoubtedly expand going into his sophomore season. At TE I expect Chris Herndon to take full advantage of Njoku's absence and have his breakout type year. I also expect Michael Irving Jr to make his name known and complement Herndon to form a very effective and productive TE duo. The wildcard here is obviously Jovani Haskins. If he can stay focused and out of Richt's doghouse he has the ability to make UM's TE corps the deepest in the ACC despite their youth and inexperience.

At WR I expect Ahmon Richards to explode but that is somewhat contingent on the QB situation. Even with that said, Richards should make himself into a household name this year. Barring injury I expect Braxton Berrios to have a good solid productive year unless he is completely passed up by true freshmen Thomas and Harley. To me the wildcard here is Lawrence Cager. Cager showed as a true freshman that he can play at this level and be productive. He displayed the ability to be an effective possession receiver. If Cager is fully recovered​ from the torn ACL he suffered last Spring he could play a crucial role in the red zone in addition to being a good safety valve for our next QB especially on 3rd down. Dionte Mullins is another interesting piece of the puzzle. Mullins was a highly recruited WR but due to qualifying late he spend all of last year learning the playbook. It will be very interesting to see how far along he is this spring and how he will fit in to the offense. As is the quartet of Richards, Berrios, Cager and Mullins has the collective ability to be extremely productive. What makes me even more comfortable with this group is the fact that the three freshmen Harley, Thomas and Dallas are polished enough to be able to contribute immediately. Dallas may end up playing safety or CB but we'll see.

Finally at QB what we have this Spring is a 4 man battle between Rosier, Sherriffs, Allison and Weldon with Perry not arriving until May. This position battle will determine our season and frankly I haven't the slightest clue as to who has the upper hand. Like I stated before, I believe that if Jack Allison ever wants to be the starting quarterback at UM he must make his move NOW. Rosier has the most experience obviously but the question with him is his passing accuracy. Weldon has many tools but he is just a true freshman. Shireffs is an accurate passer with a high football IQ but does he have the requesite athleticism to run the RPO based offense Richt wants? Jack Allison has a cannon and is a decent athlete but does he have the consistency and command of the offense needed? It seriously wouldn't surprise me if none of the above succeeded in separating themselves from the pack and Nkosi Perry comes in May and takes the job. We will see. The positional battles this Spring will be fascinating to watch.

Sorry for the insanely long post. I just got going and couldn't seem to stop.

Good analysis. As the previous post stated, the OL needs big improvement. I think it can happen with another year of better conditioning and coaching. The addition of several quality freshmen should push the upperclassmen to improve or lose their positions.

Homer deserves more carries after paying his dues on special teams as a freshman. Whether he produces is an open question and largely depends on improvement in the OL. Walton is solid and should have a big year barring injury. The WR corps is solid and deep, and Herndon is no slouch.

As you accurately stated, the QB position is a gigantic unknown. If none of the current QBs, including Weldon, impress coaches, then I want to see Perry in Game 1. Let him gain confidence, experience, and a rapport with the receivers against cream puffs before meeting FSU.

The defense will be monstrous. The JUCO and Graduate transfers in the defensive backfield will complement what could be an epic and deep front line. With decent growth and contributions by the likes of Redwine, Knowles, Young and Finley, the defense should be one of the country's best. Jaquan Johnson will be a gem.

OL and QB - if those questions are answered positively, UM will return to prominence in 2017 and set the stage for a big-time run in 2018.
 
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everyone on the O-Line...we will have to establish some type of consistent run game especially this year breaking in a new QB
 
This fu--ing Analysis got me pump man... I been depressed for many years... I truly believe we can make noise this year.
 
Need to see something from Mullins, Homer, Finley, Irving, Haskins.
 
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