Our success depends on (as usual)

[VinnDogg]

Blocking and tackling. Been that way since Pee-Wee league. The teams that block and tackle well, usually do well. We haven't been a good tackling team in years. Blocking has been sporadic and inconsistent. The way CFB has changed in the past decade + is that most teams now have talent at the skill position and speed througout the roster. Those used to be our advantages. No longer can we just show up and have our skill guys dominate the other teams guys. We have to be more physical on both sides of the ball. Attention to detail and strong in the fundamentals will help overcome our youth and should help us win a game or two that we may have lost in the past.

Of course there are the unseen variables such as injuries, turnovers and penalties. Again, for us to have a 8-9 win season we have to be on the plus side in almost every game in these categories. We also have to win some via special teams. Our glory years were always buttressed by elite special teams performers. Returning kicks, blocking kicks, fake punts etc etc. We have to gain that advantage once again.

In a season filled with question marks, it will be the little things IMO that will determine if we slog our way to another 6-6 record, or surprise a few folks along the way and challenge in the ACC. What worries me most from the player standpoint is that we don't seem to have any natural leaders. I read all the time how Golden and staff are trying to get so and so to be more of a vocal leader. Leaders aren't manufactured IMO. Thye either have it inside or they don't. In close games, in hostile crowds we need a few guys to walk the sidelines ala Dorsey and get in guys faces. Who will fill that role?

All in all I'm excited to see the young guns. I will be patient with their learning mistakes as long as max effort is there. I will pay close attention to see the body language of the younger ones if the season starts to tank. Will they still come full throttle or go through the motions like the past few teams.

Now that the whistle is for real, let's see who wants to be an All-American outside of Green Tree.

 

[txcane80]

Blocking and tackling. Been that way since Pee-Wee league. The teams that block and tackle well, usually do well. We haven't been a good tackling team in years. Blocking has been sporadic and inconsistent. The way CFB has changed in the past decade + is that most teams now have talent at the skill position and speed througout the roster. Those used to be our advantages. No longer can we just show up and have our skill guys dominate the other teams guys. We have to be more physical on both sides of the ball. Attention to detail and strong in the fundamentals will help overcome our youth and should help us win a game or two that we may have lost in the past.

Of course there are the unseen variables such as injuries, turnovers and penalties. Again, for us to have a 8-9 win season we have to be on the plus side in almost every game in these categories. We also have to win some via special teams. Our glory years were always buttressed by elite special teams performers. Returning kicks, blocking kicks, fake punts etc etc. We have to gain that advantage once again.

In a season filled with question marks, it will be the little things IMO that will determine if we slog our way to another 6-6 record, or surprise a few folks along the way and challenge in the ACC. What worries me most from the player standpoint is that we don't seem to have any natural leaders. I read all the time how Golden and staff are trying to get so and so to be more of a vocal leader. Leaders aren't manufactured IMO. Thye either have it inside or they don't. In close games, in hostile crowds we need a few guys to walk the sidelines ala Dorsey and get in guys faces. Who will fill that role?

All in all I'm excited to see the young guns. I will be patient with their learning mistakes as long as max effort is there. I will pay close attention to see the body language of the younger ones if the season starts to tank. Will they still come full throttle or go through the motions like the past few teams.

Now that the whistle is for real, let's see who wants to be an All-American outside of Green Tree.

We have to block AND tackle????? NO WAY! Next, you are going to tell us whomever scores the most points will win.

 

[WhatTheHell]

I think we've been putrid at both aspects as a direct result of a horrendous strength and conditioning program.

We used to swarm to the football and if you got popped, that was it. No extra yards. I can't even picture many plays over the last five years where our defense wasn't just melting off of guys and getting punked on arm tackles. Same thing with the o line getting thrown behind the line of scrimmage and getting zero push. It's been hard to watch such a soft football team.

 

[WhatTheHell]

Blocking and tackling. Been that way since Pee-Wee league. The teams that block and tackle well, usually do well. We haven't been a good tackling team in years. Blocking has been sporadic and inconsistent. The way CFB has changed in the past decade + is that most teams now have talent at the skill position and speed througout the roster. Those used to be our advantages. No longer can we just show up and have our skill guys dominate the other teams guys. We have to be more physical on both sides of the ball. Attention to detail and strong in the fundamentals will help overcome our youth and should help us win a game or two that we may have lost in the past.

Of course there are the unseen variables such as injuries, turnovers and penalties. Again, for us to have a 8-9 win season we have to be on the plus side in almost every game in these categories. We also have to win some via special teams. Our glory years were always buttressed by elite special teams performers. Returning kicks, blocking kicks, fake punts etc etc. We have to gain that advantage once again.

In a season filled with question marks, it will be the little things IMO that will determine if we slog our way to another 6-6 record, or surprise a few folks along the way and challenge in the ACC. What worries me most from the player standpoint is that we don't seem to have any natural leaders. I read all the time how Golden and staff are trying to get so and so to be more of a vocal leader. Leaders aren't manufactured IMO. Thye either have it inside or they don't. In close games, in hostile crowds we need a few guys to walk the sidelines ala Dorsey and get in guys faces. Who will fill that role?

All in all I'm excited to see the young guns. I will be patient with their learning mistakes as long as max effort is there. I will pay close attention to see the body language of the younger ones if the season starts to tank. Will they still come full throttle or go through the motions like the past few teams.

Now that the whistle is for real, let's see who wants to be an All-American outside of Green Tree.

We have to block AND tackle????? NO WAY! Next, you are going to tell us whomever scores the most points will win.

I'd like to block and tackle you through a glass coffee table for going at the dude Vinn like that. I just challenged a bum outside of Starbucks to a quick Oklahoma drill and I'm wearing Under Armour compression shorts as clothes. You're not about this lifestyle.

 

[BWCD]

I think one thing that we saw last season (and I saw several people with this opinion), was that Golden and his staff had our guys playing much more fundamentally sound football than Shannon's and Coker's teams did. As Shannon's recruits leave the program, we see more guys who have only had Golden & Co's hands on them as far as college coaching, so my guess is that the trend continues that we become a better fundamental football team that can do the little things well.

I saw on one of the Sun-Sentinel videos where Golden was handling the interior blocking drills for punt returns--so I think he'll be stressing special teams. A lot of really good head coaches are their own special teams coordinator, and really make their guys take pride in doing well in the kick and return phases of the game. Seems like Golden is doing the same, which I take as a positive sign. I also feel like the infusion of younger guys who won't start elsewhere being on special teams (Blue, Terry, Hope, Waters, etc) will be a plus. You show out on special teams--the staff takes notice. It's a good way to earn PT on offense or defense.

The leadership role is concerning, but from what I've seen, it looks like we have 2 leaders on this team that everyone knows about: Morris and Perryman. That's your QB and MLB...great places to have the leadership of the team coming from. Now, we do need more guys to step up as leaders, even if it's younger guys (Chickillo, Duke, Howard, etc)...no question about it. That will be interesting to monitor as the season rolls on.

Co-signed on wanting to see the reactions of the younger kids. Vernon Davis already bailed when stuff got tough, so now it's time to see if talented guys like Malcolm Lewis, Howard, Duke, and others fight through adversity to be the playmakers their talent should allow them to be.

 

[stat1124]

I agree with everything but the leadership assessment. Yes Golden has been on record as saying he needs more of the guys who played well last year to become more vocal leaders this year. Of course he is going to say this because while a kid is emerging into a leadership role you going to continue to push them to be a better leader. That is what I took out of his remarks about leadership. However from the interviews with the players, it was clear that they think Morris and Perryman/Chick have separated themselves as leaders and I agree two of those positions are exactly where you want your leadership at. However I do not think we are still searching for leaders, we just need to give the new leaders time to lead. The season is close my friends..we will see soon enough.