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What will be the 3 most improved units over last year?

FrancisSawyer

FrancisSawyer

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I'll go with
Defensive Line. Coach Salavae' has a unit that goes 12 deep and will come in waves. This is an extremely versatile group that will stop the run and rush the passer.

Secondary. Coach Addae works his magic once again. Both Cornerback and Safety are deep, talented and versatile(there's that word again).

Offensive Line. Mirabal and Cristobal will have this unit playing up to it's potential. Depth is a concern but this unit will be much improved.

Edit: Honorable Mention:
Linebacker. This is my dark horse for most improved. This is a gut feeling based on a few factors. The addition of Caleb Johnson to solidify the middle plus Keontra Smith being up to 230 lbs and being better equipped to be more physical are starting points. Add a fully healthy Waynmon Steed, Chase Smith getting his opportunity and a talented freshman duo in Wes Bissainthe and Thomas Davis who will both get better and better to go along with the veteran Corey Flagg who is steady instinctive and always in the right spot. Take all that with Charlie Strong as the LB coach and the benefit of playing in a real scheme that doesn't leave the LBs hung out to dry and you have the foundation for significant improvement.

The defense as a whole will be significantly improved because of the DL and the secondary. Now if this LB corps develops then the defense has the opportunity to be elite. Coaching really does make a huge difference.
 
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Most improved: Defense as a whole.

Reasoning: You can't single out a unit here, because the entire unit will play better as a collective.
The defensive line is professionally coached and far more talented compared to last season. They are being taught how set an edge, how to stack and shed, the importance of pad level and feet and the overall improvement in strength training and nutrition will elevate the D-Lines play.

Tackling will be vastly improved. Even if we tackle like an average College Football team it will be a massive improvement compared to last years unit. This goes for all three units, but it will mostly matter in the second level, where we have missed way too many ******* tackles.

And, at the end of it: Coverage. Just the fact that we run an actual defensive scheme now and not some gimmicky bull**** will help already. Connect this with actual DB training and not micromanaged babyback bull**** and you have something cooking here. **** you, Manny...

Honorable mention: Offensive line. D-Money has already said it, in terms of depth, the D-Line will eventually win because there's more quality. However, when the starters are playing, it seems the units are in a back and forth state, with splash plays on both sides. This is good. I don't think people get how talented our D-Line is and how deep we are there. If our O-Line can grind out good plays against that unit on a fairly consistent basis and make walk-on running backs hit long runs, we are in good shape here.

And don't forget: We have Mirabal. The man is good.
 
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This is a hard one. One defense the linebackers could see major improvements given the DL in front of them, the scheme and improved fundamentals. Of course the CB’s should benefit from the DL as well. DL will have the most impact and that will light the fuse.

On offense, I’m going with the OL as to impact. They can light the fuse for the RB’s to improve their average per carry.
 
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Bender said:
Most improved: Defense as a whole.

Reasoning: You can't single out a unit here, because the entire unit will play better as a collective.
The defensive line is professionally coached and far more talented compared to last season. They are being taught how set an edge, how to stack and shed, the importance of pad level and feet and the overall improvement in strength training and nutrition will elevate the D-Lines play.

Tackling will be vastly improved. Even if we tackle like an average College Football team it will be a massive improvement compared to last years unit. This goes for all three units, but it will mostly matter in the second level, where we have missed way too many ******* tackles.

And, at the end of it: Coverage. Just the fact that we run an actual defensive scheme now and not some gimmicky bull**** will help already. Connect this with actual DB training and not micromanaged babyback bull**** and you have something cooking here. **** you, Manny...

Honorable mention: Offensive line. D-Money has already said it, in terms of depth, the D-Line will eventually win because there's more quality. However, when the starters are playing, it seems the units are in a back and forth state, with splash plays on both sides. This is good. I don't think people get how talented our D-Line is and how deep we are there. If our O-Line can grind out good plays against that unit on a fairly consistent basis and make walk-on running backs hit long runs, we are in good shape here.

And don't forget: We have Mirabal. The man is good.
Click to expand...
Excellent post. Agreed on all counts. Aside from having #3 and honorable mention spots flipped, we are on the same page here. I also think that this DL will surprise many in terms of depth and level of play. However the common denominator is coaching. Good coaching can make an immense difference and I believe our staff will prove that assertion.
 
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FrancisSawyer said:
Defensive Line
Linebackers
Secondary
Offensive Line
Wide Receiver
Running Back
Tight End
Special Teams Kick Returns
Special Teams Kick Coverage

I'll go with
Defensive Line. Coach Salavae' has a unit that goes 12 deep and will come in waves. This is an extremely versatile group that will stop the run and rush the passer.

Secondary. Coach Addae works his magic once again. Both Cornerback and Safety are deep, talented and versatile(there's that word again).

Offensive Line. Mirabal and Cristobal will have this unit playing up to it's potential. Depth is a concern but this unit will be much improved.

Edit: Honorable Mention:
Linebacker. This is my dark horse for most improved. This is a gut feeling based on a few factors. The addition of Caleb Johnson to solidify the middle plus Keontra Smith being up to 230 lbs and being better equipped to be more physical are starting points. Add a fully healthy Waynmon Steed, Chase Smith getting his opportunity and a talented freshman duo in Wes Bissainthe and Thomas Davis who will both get better and better to go along with the veteran Corey Flagg who is steady instinctive and always in the right spot. Take all that with Charlie Strong as the LB coach and the benefit of playing in a real scheme that doesn't leave the LBs hung out to dry and you have the foundation for significant improvement.

The defense as a whole will be significantly improved because of the DL and the secondary. Now if this LB corps develops then the defense has the opportunity to be elite. Coaching really does make a huge difference.
Click to expand...

The bar was set REALLY low to begin with on some of these fronts.

Offensive Line -- We've been perennially awful in this group and there is much improvement to be had.
Defense (Tackling) -- Same reason as offensive line but more pronounced and scrutinized.
DJ Ivey -- I'll never forget this dude standing still while a WR caught and scored. CMC has been touting the improvement on this guy in all the media clips he's done over the last few weeks and I'd like to think his staff can coach and develop the bad habits out of a guy. If CMC is to be believed, we should see a breakout season for Ivey.
 
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FrancisSawyer said:
Defensive Line
Linebackers
Secondary
Offensive Line
Wide Receiver
Running Back
Tight End
Special Teams Kick Returns
Special Teams Kick Coverage

I'll go with
Defensive Line. Coach Salavae' has a unit that goes 12 deep and will come in waves. This is an extremely versatile group that will stop the run and rush the passer.

Secondary. Coach Addae works his magic once again. Both Cornerback and Safety are deep, talented and versatile(there's that word again).

Offensive Line. Mirabal and Cristobal will have this unit playing up to it's potential. Depth is a concern but this unit will be much improved.

Edit: Honorable Mention:
Linebacker. This is my dark horse for most improved. This is a gut feeling based on a few factors. The addition of Caleb Johnson to solidify the middle plus Keontra Smith being up to 230 lbs and being better equipped to be more physical are starting points. Add a fully healthy Waynmon Steed, Chase Smith getting his opportunity and a talented freshman duo in Wes Bissainthe and Thomas Davis who will both get better and better to go along with the veteran Corey Flagg who is steady instinctive and always in the right spot. Take all that with Charlie Strong as the LB coach and the benefit of playing in a real scheme that doesn't leave the LBs hung out to dry and you have the foundation for significant improvement.

The defense as a whole will be significantly improved because of the DL and the secondary. Now if this LB corps develops then the defense has the opportunity to be elite. Coaching really does make a huge difference.
Click to expand...



Definitely the growers. Not the showers.
 
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All great choices

I think TE is a dark horse here

A lot of complaints last year about the lack of using Mallory and Arroyo enough, Arroyo in particular

I don’t think that’s going to be an issue this year. Those two should EAT
 
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