Does this team surprise us?
- Thread starter cockyferg
- Start date
I'm making a swing change and breaking in a new driver right now. Those pursuits are thankfully preventing me from engaging in foolish predictions right now.
I agree. Are we going to win the SEC? I doubt it. But, we are better than advertised, and I am as sure of that as the SEC championship.
Thats about spot on....6 would be big...7 would be over the top.
That's typically how you end up in a ditch!
Just the matter of us going out there and playing the best we can and being discipline. If can’t have our defense going back on the field after a 1 minute break at all and have to stay healthy. That hurt us the most.
Kirby is just a WM with a better roster tbh.
We better hope these new coaches can coach. We lost a lot of our best players to the draft and we are so thin at DB. On offense we don’t have the horses at WR like we have had in the past. I see us going 4-8 or 5-7.
He's tougher, though, I suspect. We had players loafing last year, starting in pregame warmups and going from there. They had checked out. Smart wouldn't abide that crap, I don't believe.
I enjoy your take most of the time. We can all come back to this in December and either I or they will be able to say, "I told you so." I think making the foolish predictions is a fun past time provided nobody makes personal attacks.
I'll be involved in many discussions. I'm preoccupied right now. This isn't cerebral but visceral: five wins.
We really don't know much about the receivers. We have a transfer who might be good, and we grabbed a couple other receivers. Plus I believe Ortre is back?
Seriously not just trying to be argumentative, but honestly, I think in December both sides are going to say "I told you so".
The board will be filled with posts about how 5 wins is so much better than 2 wins, blatantly ignoring the schedule change. Other posters will talk about effort and grit that is so "obvious" that you have to be dumb not to see it etc.
Their detractors will point to losing games against non traditional powers, or missing out on a bowl.
And each side will be convinced the other is morons for not seeing it the way they do.
Yeah, but the guy famous for saying that ran two teams into the ditch...
I have targeted the DBs and WR as my biggest point of concern for some time as well. I think we added some TALENT at WR. Maybe I am wrong- but the kid from Ga Tech looks like the speed we needed at that position and EJ Jenkins should be a mismatch anywhere on the field! Hoping for the best there now…
DB- we added some really good transfers but lost two drafted players who took most the meaningful snaps at CB last year. I am still most concerned about this position. The coaches obviously are too if recruiting numbers are any indication.
LB is the other spot I worry about. I just don’t see a bunch of bodies with the size and athleticism we need there to make big hits while also having the athleticism to cover RBs and TEs…. Hope I am wrong but we seem weak there.
IMO we have the talent, depth and potential to be at least “SEC good” at all other positions.
This is not an SEC Championship kind of team, but they are good enough to surprise some people I think/ injuries being the ugly threat we have seen dash our hopes too often recently. Until we build more depth that will always be a concern.
I see you have read a few threads on this board over the years?
He was allowed to be a SMF on the field by the previous staff. I think we can look forward to a classier product on the field….at least I hope so.
We were behind Kentucky already and our team is worse this year from a returning talent perspective. We lost our best DL off a unit that was not good at all. We lost our only SEC quality linebacker. We lost virtually our entire secondary, and we lost our only quality receiver. Kentucky has had pretty solid recruiting the last few years. I said Tennessee was a toss up except for the fact we have to play them in Knoxville. Vandy is pretty much a given. If we can't beat them we might as well disband the program.
I think they have enough "talent" to compete, if their hearts are in it. Lets hope Beamer can get 110% out of them, if he does, i predict a Winning season!!
So, once in a lifetime? You might find a couple of wins up there in history, but not many. I remember about 6 or 7 years ago we had a better team and physically whipped them up there. We were ahead and looked like we would win the game, until they threw a hail Mary pass and completed it. They then kicked a field goal to win with only seconds left on the clock.
I did too, Went more of a Inside out swing with my new SIM2. seems to be straighter ball fligjt..
I get your frustration. We have won 3 times up there but we lost 4 games up there by a combined total of 11 points. A lot of times we went up there and just made one less play.
I'm going with 5 wins - which I think will be a surprise. What I am looking for more than anything is evidence of solid coaching, preparation and a winning attitude.
But I think 7 wins is possible. (so is 4)
I also will be watching to see how Coach Beamer handles adversity.
But I think 7 wins is possible. (so is 4)
I also will be watching to see how Coach Beamer handles adversity.
I recall that game you described. My point is it certainly is not impossible for USC to win at UT. Tennessee's program has crashed again, much like ours.
Who is this SEC sack leader, and nations sack leader that you speak of? If you are talking about Kingsley Enagbare, He had a good season, but he didn't lead the nation or the SEC.
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/individual/36
Jordan Strachan the transfer from Georgia State. He’s listed as 7th on that list but was tied at 10.5 sacks for most in NCAA last season.
Jordan Strachan, played in 10 games. He had 9 solo sacks and 3 assist, and that is an outstanding season in the Sun Belt Conference. I hope he has just as good a season in the SEC. No doubt he is a good addition to our defense.
I disagree with some of this. EJ was a huge loss, and horn was as well, but other than that our secondary was terrible anyway. We have some good transfersand some good recruits. I think our secondary will actually be better. Sterling is returning, and we have a couple of solid Dlinemen returning. With good coaching they may surprise you. Shi was good but not a game changer. We have some good receivers coming in. Plus we actually have a quality WR coach now. We may both be right we may both be wrong. Who knows?
I still think Muschamp recruited well. Very well, for what it's worth. He worked people to death though. That caused injuries and nagging pains that slowed people down. We will see, but I believe we have good talent here and some of the guys under performing may flourish here with the new staff. I won't be shocked if I'm wrong, but most of our problems weren't talent related.
I have a hard time saying he recruited well. He landed some big guys like Pickens and Burch that really helped our classes. But when we are relying on transfers from Wingate to start at WR in the SEC…I have a hard time saying he recruited well. It seems each season we had a position on the team completely depleted. He certainly didn’t develop talent. I’ll give you that. I agree he worked them too hard as well. The injury thing wasn’t a fluke. It happened every year. I don’t think Muschamp did anything good to be honest. A lot of the things he gets credit for were in motion before he got here. Muschamp was a disaster that even the most critical of his hire could’ve never imagined how bad it would actually be.
There are a lot of combinations of circumstances last season that could lead to a surprise season. Covid for one kind of killed things. Our secondary quitting. Bad coaching. I think we’ll be a much better team this year…I won’t be surprised with 4 wins…which I believe is likely. 5 I wouldn’t say I’d be surprised. 6 I’d be surprised…and just have a hard time finding 6 wins on the schedule. Everything has to go right for that to happen. It’s possible…just dont think we’ll see it this year.
Beamer will have a bit of a learning curve as well. I’m not being negative in saying this team won’t surprise. I’m just not going to get my expectations too high early on during Beamer’s tenure. It’s going to take him some time. Seems everyone knew that when we hired him.
In the same vein, I don't think all our QB busts would have busted with better coaching. I find it hard to believe that 3 of the highest rated QBs in the country come here and become middle school quality QBs upon arrival in consecutive years.
No doubt about this. Bentley was solid as a freshman. He never got better…and when the team relied on him he really struggled.
Bad QB play follows Muschamp coached teams. He’s not calling the plays, but he’s the one telling the OC how aggressive to be. It follows him like injuries. I believe Muschamp is the biggest Head Coach bust of all-time. He was a can’t miss guy in the early 2000’s. I don’t think anyone could’ve every imagined how bad he’d be as a HC.
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