DeviousDawg
07-11-2017, 03:34 PM
The passing game is really the biggest mystery to me going into the season.
WIDE RECEIVER
1. With Ross graduating and Dear likely out for the season, there are a lot of touches up for grabs. Last year, Ross and Dear combined for almost 100 rec, 1200 yards and 14 TD. How and who do we replace 1200 yards with?
2. You know you have Mixon starting in the slot and Gray at the X. From there it's anyone's game. Looking back at the last 3-4 years receiving stats, each year we have had two guys with the lions share of receptions, and 3 to 4 more guys with 20+ receptions and 100-200 yards. I expect Mixon and Gray to combine for 110+ receptions, which leaves ~100 receptions to be split between the following guys:
-Gabe Myles
-Jamal Couch
-Deddrick Thomas
-Reggie Todd
-Osirus Mitchell
-Jesse Jackson
-Austin Williams
3. So how do yall see this group shaking out? Who steps up?
-I think Gabe Myles will have a good year and get the most targets out of that group, 30 receptions from him(assuming he remembered how to catch a football) would be huge.
-I think Deddrick Thomas could have a nice year, he plays strong for his size, but he has struggled with his hands.
-You'd have to assume that Couch gets the nod at the outside receiver position opposite Gray, but at 6'4" 230, he is going to have to learn how to use his size to his advantage, which we really didn't see last year. His speed is not going to beat anybody, but his hands are great. If he can figure out how to play big, our WR group will benefit greatly.
-Todd and Mitchell are both a legitimate 6'4" with better speed than Couch, but they are both very raw and young. We need one of these guys to adjust quickly, because we are in need of some length, with 4 of our top 5 guys being 6'0" or less. These guys are exciting, but it's hard to expect much from either next year.
-Jesse Jackson was a big time recruit for us back in the day, but due to injuries his progression has been slowed and he has not produced thus far. He had 1 catch for 7 yards last year, so it's hard to expect much from him in 2017. I haven't heard any news about him over the off season, but hopefully he has figured it out. We just need guys that can catch the football.
-Austin Williams is my wild card. He was an early enrollee so he has been learning the system and working out with the team for over 6 months now, if he can catch a football and run good routes, I could see him getting some real targets at 6'3" 210.
TIGHT END
4. While our receiving corp is lacking in size, our Tight end group is not, both in actual size and quantity. We have Justin Johnson, Farrod Green and Justin Thomas returning as contributors, and Dontae Jones and Christian Roberson coming off their redshirt seasons. True Freshman late signee Powers Warren is coming in, but you can't expect much from him.
5. We know Farrod Green will be our day 1 starter, but it's hard to not salivate over Justin Thomas. He is 6'7" 280, with soft hands. Not a combination that you see very often, and we have to use him as a mismatch. Imagine having him on the line of scrimmage along side the Tackle, how do you guard him? He's big enough to seal the edge, and quick enough to keep a linebacker covering him as a potential receiver. We have not had a mismatch like him in quite a while, pleaseeeee Mullen don't blow the opportunity, use the big man!
6. Justin Johnson is not exciting, but he is a big body, knows the offense and is fairly consistent, he will be on the field a lot.
7. Dontae Jones has lost a ton of weight, and remember, not too long ago he was a 4* WR, split him out wide and you have an automatic mismatch on an outside linebacker/nickle corner. I'm excited to see what he can do this year, and he is only a Freshman, he could be huge for us over the years. Not sure what to think of Christian Roberson, he had some nice offers out of High School but I get the feeling he may be the odd man out.
8. Is Mullen changing his passing identity? We have all noticed the influx of Tight Ends, we will have 6 on scholarship next year. Our tight ends only combined for 25 receptions last year, will they help fill the gap left behind by Ross and Dear? I would love to see multiple tight ends on the field at the same time, with Gray and Mixon as speed guys over the top and underneath respectively. Mullen is going to have to be creative, but he has the oppurtunity to do some cool things with this tight end group, and make our WR deficiency not as nearly noticeable. Bear's size and speed were that of a TE, can we use some of these guys in a similiar way? Is this the year we finally see the always promised 2 tight end set? If there was ever a year, this is it.
MISCELLANEOUS:
9. In 2015 and 2016, Hollaway combined for 50 receptions. In 2014, JRob had 28 receptions. We know Aeris Williams is our every down back, but does he have the hands and ability to have 25 receptions out of the backfield? If not, will Nick Gibson get a chunk of receptions out of the backfield, or is this where Kylin Hill plays in? He had 35 receptions over his Junior and Senior years of High School, he is quick and powerful, if we can get the ball in his hands in the open field... If we don't redshirt him as many have said, we need to use him.
10. So, we only have two Quarterbacks, is Dan going to be willing to run Fitz as freely as he was last year? If not, we are going to have some of these TE and WR step up in a big way. The combination of 2 scholarship QB and a depleted WR group is not a good one. Dan is going to have to make his money's worth on Offense this year, it's going to be interesting to see how he calls plays. If everyone can stay healthy, this offense has the chance to be a fun one to watch, and one that will surely progress over the season as guys step up and become more comfortable in their roles.
WIDE RECEIVER
1. With Ross graduating and Dear likely out for the season, there are a lot of touches up for grabs. Last year, Ross and Dear combined for almost 100 rec, 1200 yards and 14 TD. How and who do we replace 1200 yards with?
2. You know you have Mixon starting in the slot and Gray at the X. From there it's anyone's game. Looking back at the last 3-4 years receiving stats, each year we have had two guys with the lions share of receptions, and 3 to 4 more guys with 20+ receptions and 100-200 yards. I expect Mixon and Gray to combine for 110+ receptions, which leaves ~100 receptions to be split between the following guys:
-Gabe Myles
-Jamal Couch
-Deddrick Thomas
-Reggie Todd
-Osirus Mitchell
-Jesse Jackson
-Austin Williams
3. So how do yall see this group shaking out? Who steps up?
-I think Gabe Myles will have a good year and get the most targets out of that group, 30 receptions from him(assuming he remembered how to catch a football) would be huge.
-I think Deddrick Thomas could have a nice year, he plays strong for his size, but he has struggled with his hands.
-You'd have to assume that Couch gets the nod at the outside receiver position opposite Gray, but at 6'4" 230, he is going to have to learn how to use his size to his advantage, which we really didn't see last year. His speed is not going to beat anybody, but his hands are great. If he can figure out how to play big, our WR group will benefit greatly.
-Todd and Mitchell are both a legitimate 6'4" with better speed than Couch, but they are both very raw and young. We need one of these guys to adjust quickly, because we are in need of some length, with 4 of our top 5 guys being 6'0" or less. These guys are exciting, but it's hard to expect much from either next year.
-Jesse Jackson was a big time recruit for us back in the day, but due to injuries his progression has been slowed and he has not produced thus far. He had 1 catch for 7 yards last year, so it's hard to expect much from him in 2017. I haven't heard any news about him over the off season, but hopefully he has figured it out. We just need guys that can catch the football.
-Austin Williams is my wild card. He was an early enrollee so he has been learning the system and working out with the team for over 6 months now, if he can catch a football and run good routes, I could see him getting some real targets at 6'3" 210.
TIGHT END
4. While our receiving corp is lacking in size, our Tight end group is not, both in actual size and quantity. We have Justin Johnson, Farrod Green and Justin Thomas returning as contributors, and Dontae Jones and Christian Roberson coming off their redshirt seasons. True Freshman late signee Powers Warren is coming in, but you can't expect much from him.
5. We know Farrod Green will be our day 1 starter, but it's hard to not salivate over Justin Thomas. He is 6'7" 280, with soft hands. Not a combination that you see very often, and we have to use him as a mismatch. Imagine having him on the line of scrimmage along side the Tackle, how do you guard him? He's big enough to seal the edge, and quick enough to keep a linebacker covering him as a potential receiver. We have not had a mismatch like him in quite a while, pleaseeeee Mullen don't blow the opportunity, use the big man!
6. Justin Johnson is not exciting, but he is a big body, knows the offense and is fairly consistent, he will be on the field a lot.
7. Dontae Jones has lost a ton of weight, and remember, not too long ago he was a 4* WR, split him out wide and you have an automatic mismatch on an outside linebacker/nickle corner. I'm excited to see what he can do this year, and he is only a Freshman, he could be huge for us over the years. Not sure what to think of Christian Roberson, he had some nice offers out of High School but I get the feeling he may be the odd man out.
8. Is Mullen changing his passing identity? We have all noticed the influx of Tight Ends, we will have 6 on scholarship next year. Our tight ends only combined for 25 receptions last year, will they help fill the gap left behind by Ross and Dear? I would love to see multiple tight ends on the field at the same time, with Gray and Mixon as speed guys over the top and underneath respectively. Mullen is going to have to be creative, but he has the oppurtunity to do some cool things with this tight end group, and make our WR deficiency not as nearly noticeable. Bear's size and speed were that of a TE, can we use some of these guys in a similiar way? Is this the year we finally see the always promised 2 tight end set? If there was ever a year, this is it.
MISCELLANEOUS:
9. In 2015 and 2016, Hollaway combined for 50 receptions. In 2014, JRob had 28 receptions. We know Aeris Williams is our every down back, but does he have the hands and ability to have 25 receptions out of the backfield? If not, will Nick Gibson get a chunk of receptions out of the backfield, or is this where Kylin Hill plays in? He had 35 receptions over his Junior and Senior years of High School, he is quick and powerful, if we can get the ball in his hands in the open field... If we don't redshirt him as many have said, we need to use him.
10. So, we only have two Quarterbacks, is Dan going to be willing to run Fitz as freely as he was last year? If not, we are going to have some of these TE and WR step up in a big way. The combination of 2 scholarship QB and a depleted WR group is not a good one. Dan is going to have to make his money's worth on Offense this year, it's going to be interesting to see how he calls plays. If everyone can stay healthy, this offense has the chance to be a fun one to watch, and one that will surely progress over the season as guys step up and become more comfortable in their roles.