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Realistic opinion

Angry Ibis said:
OldhamA said:
It was always going to be a rebuilding year - we lost three first rounders in the trenches this offseason.

We're still clearly very good, but we've taken a step back. Fortunately for us so has everyone else - look at how weak Ohio St look now without all their talent on D.
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We weren’t replacing those 3 overnight, but no one sold this year as a rebuilding year. That narrative is certainly shifting.

I’m not focused on other teams. That is mostly used to offset the concerns about our own team.
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Most of the realistic folks on here knew that the OL was concern #1. You’re word smithing this into something it isn’t. “No one sold this year as a rebuilding year” is straight cope for you being angry about the OL play and rotation. That’s not entirely wrong, but it also isn’t exactly true. SJ played better last night, albeit against weak competition. I thought Congdon played better than him. Overall, I thought the OL played somewhere between very good and excellent. That’s without tracking anything, watching the game one time only, etc. Mensah had a lot of time to throw and I saw holes being opened in the run game. I also saw Luke Nickel get crushed on an obv missed assignment by the second team; just to keep it real.
 
Angry Ibis said:
Expectations.

The expectation was to takeoff in year five especially after falling short in the national championship game. The expectation was not that our offensive line of all positions would be the weakest link.

I think most fans found SJ playing as a tight end fullback a cute little gimmick last year. No one finds him getting blown up as a full-time offensive line starter at all cute. Especially after the off-season hype of two major offensive line signings.

There was an entire discussion on whether the coaching staff abandoned their offensive line strategy or reverted to being too stubborn.

They seem like valid concerns for a national title contender entering the meat of the schedule.
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Expectations were to takeoff last year and we got to the natty and didn’t finish. You can’t say the takeoff year is after the natty run lol

The oline concerns are valid and they deserve criticism for leaving this much uncertainty for a natty contender
 
BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati said:
Most of the realistic folks on here knew that the OL was concern #1. You’re word smithing this into something it isn’t. “No one sold this year as a rebuilding year” is straight cope for you being angry about the OL play and rotation. That’s not entirely wrong, but it also isn’t exactly true. SJ played better last night, albeit against weak competition. I thought Congdon played better than him. Overall, I thought the OL played somewhere between very good and excellent. That’s without tracking anything, watching the game one time only, etc. Mensah had a lot of time to throw and I saw holes being opened in the run game. I also saw Luke Nickel get crushed on an obv missed assignment by the second team; just to keep it real.
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There were numerous discussions by the administrators of this board on OL play, so let’s not act like I am making this up. The play against Wake was hot garbage and not where we need to be.

Could it improve? Of course. But the OL is a weak link to more than me. I mean the coaches’ biggest defender started a thread cursing an OL player and question the OL and staff.
 
E1k said:
Expectations were to takeoff last year and we got to the natty and didn’t finish. You can’t say the takeoff year is after the natty run lol

The oline concerns are valid and they deserve criticism for leaving this much uncertainty for a natty contender
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I disagree. Last year was a feeling we overachieved a year early for some and this was to be the dominate year.

I do agree we did takeoff last year… when we got out of our own **** way and allowed us to.

And this year we were to continue, reload, not rebuild.
 
Angry Ibis said:
BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati said:
Most of the realistic folks on here knew that the OL was concern #1. You’re word smithing this into something it isn’t. “No one sold this year as a rebuilding year” is straight cope for you being angry about the OL play and rotation. That’s not entirely wrong, but it also isn’t exactly true. SJ played better last night, albeit against weak competition. I thought Congdon played better than him. Overall, I thought the OL played somewhere between very good and excellent. That’s without tracking anything, watching the game one time only, etc. Mensah had a lot of time to throw and I saw holes being opened in the run game. I also saw Luke Nickel get crushed on an obv missed assignment by the second team; just to keep it real.
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There were numerous discussions by the administrators of this board on OL play, so let’s not act like I am making this up. The play against Wake was hot garbage and not where we need to be.

Could it improve? Of course. But the OL is a weak link to more than me. I mean the coaches’ biggest defender started a thread cursing an OL player and question the OL and staff.
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My first sentence literally said the OL was concern #1. The part you made up, which is a technique ex-girlfriends of mine have pulled - is when you said the bit about not being sold this as a rebuild. It’s teetering on being a strawman argument.

Why does it need to be sold as a rebuild? What does that even look like? Mario at the lectern pounding his fist as he proclaims we lost 4/5 on the OL from last year as he states “the fan base will have to be patient as we work our way through this rebuild on the OL”??? I mean I could totally see Mario doing that in between detailed injury reports, complete with prognosis timelines.

👆🏼That is sarcasm. We knew it was going to be a challenge. It did look like hot garbage at Wake. It did NOT look like hot garbage last night. It was an improvement. How much of an improvement? I haven’t rewatched the game to know and I have a life outside of college football; therefore I likely won’t have the time to do that task. I’m not objecting to your stance that the OL needs to improve. I’m objecting to the drama and overemoting that you’re attaching to it.
 
Angry Ibis said:
We weren’t replacing those 3 overnight, but no one sold this year as a rebuilding year. That narrative is certainly shifting.

I’m not focused on other teams. That is mostly used to offset the concerns about our own team.
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Oh, was someone selling something? I must have missed that sales pitch.

You should focus on other teams, that's who we have to play after all.
 
I feel like most people on this board don’t watch anything other than Miami. There isn’t a dominant team out there this year. Maybe UGA but they haven’t really played anyone
Texas isn’t great
Ole Miss had a let down
LSU is good but Lane is due for another L based on his career
We have line issues and injury concerns
TTech is meh
OSU isn’t great and the Big is really down this year
Oregon sucks but might be better with Raiola
The gata could lose 4 by end of year
ND has running game issues

This is just a year where any given Saturday you just have to survive and advance
 
Last edited:
Stats02 said:
Perhaps you, me, and several other posters knew it was going to be a rebuilding year for the o-line, but many other posters didn’t think we would miss a beat.

I’m sure you remember seeing discussions and arguments pre-season that our o-line might not look as good early in the season, but will be our strongest unit by the end of the season. Trust Mario/Mirabel and their evals, right? Trust their development on the o-line, right? No need to be concerned about O-line play ever again as long as Mario is our coach, right?

We had concerns and were told to shut up. Mario’s got this. Well, maybe he still does, but it’s looking rough so far.
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I think they'll figure it out as the season goes on - Congdon played a lot yesterday and hopefully takes the starting job from Alofaituli (who might yet be a good C, but I think that ship might have sailed).

LG is the only glaring weakness we have - on the whole the unit isn't as good as last year, but it doesn't need to be with Mensah being light years better than Beck. In a couple of years it might be the best unit on the team again (we're very, very young in that room).

Despite all this we've walloped Wake and Stanford - who are both better than we thought they were coming into the season.
 
Angry Ibis said:
I disagree. Last year was a feeling we overachieved a year early for some and this was to be the dominate year.

I do agree we did takeoff last year… when we got out of our own **** way and allowed us to.

And this year we were to continue, reload, not rebuild.
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Me personally we exceeded my expectations based on my pre season expectations but plenty of people, majority of this board thought we were a natty contender in the pre season last year.

Either way that was as a takeoff year, over achieving would be winning a playoff game or two..We went from missing the playoffs to the natty. Thats a takeoff year by every definition. You can’t make it to the natty and say you’re a year early especially with our best players leaving lol

As far as this year we are a top5 team in the country currently thru 4 weeks, thats where everyone here thought we would be. The real schedule starts next week so it’s still alot to be seen. Idk what rebuilding you’re referring to, we have weak spots on this team just like we did last year just at different spots, that’s never going to change

It feels like you’re implying this year is a let down prematurely because we have weak spots that need improvement
 
Fawk_U Haters said:
I feel like most people on this board don’t watch anything other than Miami. There isn’t a dominant team out there this year. Maybe UGA but they haven’t really played anyone
Texas isn’t great
Ole Miss had a let down
LSU is good but Lane is due for another L based on his career
We have line issues and injury concerns
TTech is meh
OSU isn’t great and the Big is really down this year
Oregon sucks but might be better with Raiola
The gata could lose 4 by end of year

This is just a year where any given Saturday you just have to survive and advance
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Georgia's QB play will always hold them back - Gunner Stockton is a jump ball merchant.
 
OldhamA said:
Oh, was someone selling something? I must have missed that sales pitch.

You should focus on other teams, that's who we have to play after all.
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I watch other teams all the time unlike most of the board who thinks everyone not Miami is cheeks… I just refuse to use other teams’ problems to explain away ours
 
Congdon needs snaps. Kid will be a starter here. I like that Miami has moved Cantwell to his natural position. Let him get as many snaps at LT as possible because he will be asked to start there next year.

SJ should be told to learn to snap or hit the cardio to be a fb.

Meriweather almost killed luke with the missed outside rusher/free runner.

Hawks looks like a future RT starter.

2026: pray Congdon keeps developing and gaining confidence. He is a CFP body type. He may get confused on some plays but he won’t get bullied.

2027-2029: Cantwell, Congdon, Maxx, hawks look like an elite future
 
OldhamA said:
It was always going to be a rebuilding year - we lost three first rounders in the trenches this offseason.

We're still clearly very good, but we've taken a step back. Fortunately for us so has everyone else - look at how weak Ohio St look now without all their talent on D.
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Sure but rebuilding ≠ worse guard play than when Manny was here.
 
Angry Ibis said:
I watch other teams all the time unlike most of the board who thinks everyone not Miami is cheeks… I just refuse to use other teams’ problems to explain away ours
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I have two to three games on during every time slot - so yeah, you can park that one. :)
 
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