Missing pieces (things we all know already)

[ghost2]

ITT I'm going to play Captain Obvious and write down what I believe we need to be a better team going forward (2017 and beyond.)

1. Offensive Lineman. As many as you can get your hands on. We need to throw numbers at the OL for the next two recruiting cycles to get this done. QB play, playcalling, WR timing, RB lanes - all are being affected by our shoddy OL play. A good coordinator can mask one guy's deficiencies, but not several - and we have several holes on the OL. Donaldson will be an instant starter in 2017, but this is by a wide margin the single biggest deficiency on this team right now.

2. A franchise RB. Walton and Yearby are what they are. If we truly want to run the football as our bread and butter, we need a "Plan A" running back - somebody who can bust one wide open any time he touches the ball, against any defense. We need our Moreno, Gurley, Chubb, etc.

3. A slot WR. Coley is option #1 right now and that's great. Richards will be a stud. With Bruce gone we NEED a shifty, speedy, Roscoe Parrish-type guy to open up the screen/slant/drag game for our QB, and I'm still not entirely convinced Berrios is that guy at WR.

4. Cornerbacks. See "Offensive Linemen" above. We lose Colbert and Elder after this year leaving us with Redwine, Jackson, and Young with Jaquan Johnson able to move around as needed. JJ is a beast but not a boundary corner, IMO. Young is...young. And Redwine and Jackson are good players but not #1 CB options.

4. A "centerfielder" safety. Our defense has been pretty dang outstanding so far this year, but I feel like we need that guy who can cover ground in a hurry and help out in the pass game - it seems like we have a safety group full of "thumpers" right now.

5. A "mobile" quarterback. There, I said it. I don't think Brad Kaaya is as bad a QB as all that (never beating FSU is a hard hump to get over) but in today's college game it's good to have a QB who can at least extend a play with his legs. I don't think we need a Watson or a Jackson to be successful, but when the pocket inevitably breaks down I want a guy who can make a play on the move - even if it's just picking up 7 yards of empty field. I still think we can win with Brad Kaaya as our QB, but I have to admit I'm curious to see what a guy like N'Kosi Perry can do in a couple years' time.


Understand that I believe AS A TEAM we're closer to being really really good (I hate the term "elite") than we have been in many years. All teams have holes/weaknesses; these are just ours as I see them and feel free to disagree. I didn't get into playcalling/coaching because there are many threads already on the subject, and quite frankly I think personnel is affecting gameplan in a multitude of ways, so that's what I focused on here.

 

[ghost2]

Also if this has more of a "recruiting board" vibe to it, I'm not offended if it gets moved.

 

[Fyrecane]

Have to remember too that this team is still full of folder and dorito's recruits that have had 4 years of bad coaching. It's gonna take more than 10 months to change things.

 

[TrumpCane]

we are fine at RB.

What we need is a big physical WR that can snatch the ball. coley is not that.

 

[rok]

To keep this from getting moved to the recruiting board, I'll try to patch these holes with guys already on the team.

1. Need to hope that George Brown develops into a good LT so that Darling can play either guard position or RT. McDermott and Linder a year older and stronger should be pretty good. There's not much to believe in aside from them unless St. Louis or Gauthier take a major step forward. I do like the idea of four senior starters on the OL with tons of combined starts.

LT Brown
LG McDermott
C Linder
RG Darling
RT Odogwu

2. Homer has a spring in his step. I'm a fan of Walton and Yearby but they have their shortcomings. Would feel better about Homer if he was stealing some carries but Brown is adamant about playing 2 backs.

3. Berrios has the potential to be a sturdy slot WR for us next season along with Richards, Harris, Cager. Still think he's too heavy.

4. From what I've seen of Jaquan, he's got some ballhawk in him. Knowles and Finley are total unknowns but appear to be better suited to play closer to the LOS.

5. In Perry we trust.

 

[MiamiVice7]

4. A "centerfielder" safety. Our defense has been pretty dang outstanding so far this year, but I feel like we need that guy who can cover ground in a hurry and help out in the pass game - it seems like we have a safety group full of "thumpers" right now.

A bit off OP's topic but this is one of my concerns about UNC tomorrow. I like our corners and JJ, but fingers crossed that our safety play is up to par.

That and the young LBs. They'll need to cover and move around well in space.

 

[407cane]

Walton is not consistent but if there's one thing he's shown is that he has the ability to score anytime he touches it. He's got big play ability.

I'm not a huge Walton fan but I believe he will be better going forward. Most of his touches against fsu were rpo, he'll be better with designed runs

 

[rt cane]

We have plenty of weapons on offense. We were told our defensive line was garbage the last few years. Turns out they are studs.

 

[skyman]

Will Donaldson be an early entrant? That would go a long way for what people want out of him so early... I agree tho, we need to turn this oline over very quickly, we need help all over as guys have experience but just arent that good, in big games too many guys struggling across the line and need help. We need numbers at wr and DB. Both positions we seem to be struggling to lock guys down at in south florida for some odd reason.

 

[kryptonite]

QB mobility is great to have, but I would rank it behind accuracy and good decision making. Kayaa has those, and with a better OL we'd be raving about what a great QB he is. Basically, people are blaming him for not being able to compensate for other people's shortcomings, and (as usual) assuming that the next guy will solve our problems. Perry hasn't stepped on campus yet, and we all know how easy it is for these kids to get sidetracked. Add to that Jack probably wanting to start and it's a long road for Perry to see the field.

 

[ghost2]

QB mobility is great to have, but I would rank it behind accuracy and good decision making. Kayaa has those, and with a better OL we'd be raving about what a great QB he is. Basically, people are blaming him for not being able to compensate for other people's shortcomings, and (as usual) assuming that the next guy will solve our problems. Perry hasn't stepped on campus yet, and we all know how easy it is for these kids to get sidetracked. Add to that Jack probably wanting to start and it's a long road for Perry to see the field.

Agree with you for the most part, and I'm certainly not willing to give up on Kaaya. There are just times when I wish he could even extend the play laterally and find an open guy downfield. He doesn't have to run, but many times it seems like he's just waiting to get himself killed.

 

[BALLHAWKU]

ITT I'm going to play Captain Obvious and write down what I believe we need to be a better team going forward (2017 and beyond.)

1. Offensive Lineman. As many as you can get your hands on. We need to throw numbers at the OL for the next two recruiting cycles to get this done. QB play, playcalling, WR timing, RB lanes - all are being affected by our shoddy OL play. A good coordinator can mask one guy's deficiencies, but not several - and we have several holes on the OL. Donaldson will be an instant starter in 2017, but this is by a wide margin the single biggest deficiency on this team right now.

2. A franchise RB. Walton and Yearby are what they are. If we truly want to run the football as our bread and butter, we need a "Plan A" running back - somebody who can bust one wide open any time he touches the ball, against any defense. We need our Moreno, Gurley, Chubb, etc.

3. A slot WR. Coley is option #1 right now and that's great. Richards will be a stud. With Bruce gone we NEED a shifty, speedy, Roscoe Parrish-type guy to open up the screen/slant/drag game for our QB, and I'm still not entirely convinced Berrios is that guy at WR.

4. Cornerbacks. See "Offensive Linemen" above. We lose Colbert and Elder after this year leaving us with Redwine, Jackson, and Young with Jaquan Johnson able to move around as needed. JJ is a beast but not a boundary corner, IMO. Young is...young. And Redwine and Jackson are good players but not #1 CB options.

4. A "centerfielder" safety. Our defense has been pretty dang outstanding so far this year, but I feel like we need that guy who can cover ground in a hurry and help out in the pass game - it seems like we have a safety group full of "thumpers" right now.

5. A "mobile" quarterback. There, I said it. I don't think Brad Kaaya is as bad a QB as all that (never beating FSU is a hard hump to get over) but in today's college game it's good to have a QB who can at least extend a play with his legs. I don't think we need a Watson or a Jackson to be successful, but when the pocket inevitably breaks down I want a guy who can make a play on the move - even if it's just picking up 7 yards of empty field. I still think we can win with Brad Kaaya as our QB, but I have to admit I'm curious to see what a guy like N'Kosi Perry can do in a couple years' time.


Understand that I believe AS A TEAM we're closer to being really really good (I hate the term "elite") than we have been in many years. All teams have holes/weaknesses; these are just ours as I see them and feel free to disagree. I didn't get into playcalling/coaching because there are many threads already on the subject, and quite frankly I think personnel is affecting gameplan in a multitude of ways, so that's what I focused on here.

Harley takes Bruce spot,, need to cut dead weight on the team for sure. We need an OC . QB Kaaya not only slow but not accurate

 

[Fawk_U Haters]

To keep this from getting moved to the recruiting board, I'll try to patch these holes with guys already on the team.

1. Need to hope that George Brown develops into a good LT so that Darling can play either guard position or RT. McDermott and Linder a year older and stronger should be pretty good. There's not much to believe in aside from them unless St. Louis or Gauthier take a major step forward. I do like the idea of four senior starters on the OL with tons of combined starts.

LT Brown
LG McDermott
C Linder
RG Darling
RT Odogwu

2. Homer has a spring in his step. I'm a fan of Walton and Yearby but they have their shortcomings. Would feel better about Homer if he was stealing some carries but Brown is adamant about playing 2 backs.

3. Berrios has the potential to be a sturdy slot WR for us next season along with Richards, Harris, Cager. Still think he's too heavy.

4. From what I've seen of Jaquan, he's got some ballhawk in him. Knowles and Finley are total unknowns but appear to be better suited to play closer to the LOS.

5. In Perry we trust.

I wouldn't count on Brown IMO.

Kids who play games in recruiting and then transfer after a year usually don't pan out. The knock on this kid was that he was really lazy. It's been said a lot on this board about how when the local schools don't take you should we really want him? With that being said, how many 4* a$$ kickers on the oline do you ever see Urban Meyer let get away from his backyard? Any good oline actually, who cares about the stars. Why didn't Urban want him?

I would truly be shocked and surprised if this kid ever starts here. I think he'll get beat out and transfer from us to be honest.

 

[jevoasis]

With 2 above average OL players THIS YEAR, we see a completely different O. Shame Milo and St L wasted a year of bad coRching and S&C, those 2 are supposed to be players and should be able to give a few good snaps per game already.

 

[iLoveTDs]

we are fine at RB.

What we need is a big physical WR that can snatch the ball. coley is not that.

We are not fine at RB. OP's points are valid.

Walton's vision is mediocre at best, and Yearby has no breakaway speed.

We need a "Cook"-esque RB in here to run Richt's style of football. And So Fla has plenty to offer in those regards.

 

[iLoveTDs]

To keep this from getting moved to the recruiting board, I'll try to patch these holes with guys already on the team.

1. Need to hope that George Brown develops into a good LT so that Darling can play either guard position or RT. McDermott and Linder a year older and stronger should be pretty good. There's not much to believe in aside from them unless St. Louis or Gauthier take a major step forward. I do like the idea of four senior starters on the OL with tons of combined starts.

LT Brown
LG McDermott
C Linder
RG Darling
RT Odogwu

2. Homer has a spring in his step. I'm a fan of Walton and Yearby but they have their shortcomings. Would feel better about Homer if he was stealing some carries but Brown is adamant about playing 2 backs.

3. Berrios has the potential to be a sturdy slot WR for us next season along with Richards, Harris, Cager. Still think he's too heavy.

4. From what I've seen of Jaquan, he's got some ballhawk in him. Knowles and Finley are total unknowns but appear to be better suited to play closer to the LOS.

5. In Perry we trust.

I wouldn't count on Brown IMO.

Kids who play games in recruiting and then transfer after a year usually don't pan out. The knock on this kid was that he was really lazy. It's been said a lot on this board about how when the local schools don't take you should we really want him? With that being said, how many 4* a$$ kickers on the oline do you ever see Urban Meyer let get away from his backyard? Any good oline actually, who cares about the stars. Why didn't Urban want him?

I would truly be shocked and surprised if this kid ever starts here. I think he'll get beat out and transfer from us to be honest.

Probably true - but when you need bodies sometimes you roll the dice with these transfer types, and hope that they've learned their lesson.

Larranaga does it with guys who were once deemed "lazy" by other coaches.

A second chance is a powerful thing.

 

[Jeeperaf]

...5. In Perry we trust.

This Perry young man that good? Or is our fan base wanting him to be that good? The next diamond in the rough like L'Ville's Jackson?

Puts a ton of pressure on Perry and lifts expectations to perhaps unrealistic levels...

Perry is going to beat out Shirreffs or Allison too??

 

[Canesvolls]

Can someone explain what is the main issue with the O line? I realize there are issues but I do not have the knowledge to see what causes the problems. Also, was this caused by recruiting mistakes or development issues? Will this take years to fix since weight room time will be needed ?
Thanks

 

[Golsen82]

Will Donaldson be an early entrant? That would go a long way for what people want out of him so early... I agree tho, we need to turn this oline over very quickly, we need help all over as guys have experience but just arent that good, in big games too many guys struggling across the line and need help. We need numbers at wr and DB. Both positions we seem to be struggling to lock guys down at in south florida for some odd reason.

Thatd be great if he was as he'll get to be in the strength and conditioning program

 

[Golsen82]

...5. In Perry we trust.

This Perry young man that good? Or is our fan base wanting him to be that good? The next diamond in the rough like L'Ville's Jackson?

Puts a ton of pressure on Perry and lifts expectations to perhaps unrealistic levels...

Perry is going to beat out Shirreffs or Allison too??

Yes he will beat them, I see Perry as our Lamar or Jameis, which is what you need to win in college football, heck even Alabama has a dual threat qb now