Ten for '10

Rodney McLeod: The true key to defensive success in 2010?

A year ago, I presented a list of the ten most important players for the 2009 football team.  That list included some guys who "hit" (Matt Conrath, Rodney McLeod, Robert Randolph, Ras-I Dowling), and some guys who didn't (Torrey Mack, Jared Green, Vic Hall).

Anyway, this is basically my quick take on who the ten most important players are on this year's team.  These are the guys who will ultimately decide if this team is successful on the field.  They are essentially the make or break players for this season.

#10 Joe Torchia -- This team will need safety valves to emerge at the receiver positions.  Kris Burd certainly fits that bill, as does the two-headed fullback of Max Milien and Terence Fells-Danzer.  But an effective tight end is always a QB's best friend, and Torchia has the potential to have a big season.

#9 Nick Jenkins -- He's the stabilizing influence on the d-line, and that probably trickles down to the entire defense.  If Jenkins stays healthy and plays his standard, steady game, the D will be built on a terrific foundation up front.  Low ceiling / high floor players like this are the key to piecing together a consistently effective football team.

#8 Robert Randolph -- I hate placing kickers on this list, but let's face it --- the offense will sputter at times, and games will be won or lost on the leg of the placekicker.  When you're building an offense around a power running Pro-I, there will be times when it gets bogged down in the red zone.  Randolph must deliver on a high percentage of his 3-point tries.  (He connected on 17 of his 19 attempts last season, good for 90%... and plenty good enough for this season as well, if he can duplicate the feat.)

#7 Oday Aboushi -- He's the new starter at right tackle, and might be the best overall talent on the first unit offensive line.  The power run game usually tilts toward the right side of the field, and if 'Boushi is doing work, we will be much more likely to succeed in our primary offensive objective: running the football.

#6 Kris Burd -- I'm coming around on the idea that Burd is our best overall receiver.  As such, he will need to generate some big plays in the passing game if this team is going to overachieve in 2010.  His smarts and great hands will serve him well in that regard.  There are no other wideouts on the team that appear ready to take on the "go-to" role, so it might be Kris Burd or bust.

#5 Raynard Horne -- This is a leap of faith, especially ranking him this high on the list.  That said, the fate of the offense will be heaped upon one of the bellcow-style ballcarriers.  Perry Jones is a change-of-pace guy, so it won't be him.  Horne has (so far) beaten out Dominique Wallace and Keith Payne, so he's on my list of ten.  We'll need one of these backs to grind out games between the tackles, and it looks like the staff favors Horne in that role... for now at least.

#4 Cam Johnson -- The 4-3 defense is predicated on being able to generate a pass rush from the front four.  Cam Johnson is our best pure pass rusher.  Do the math --- if Cam isn't terrorizing QBs, who will?  And if opposing QBs aren't under pressure, the defense will likely crumble.

#3 Rodney McLeod -- He's reportedly coming on as one of the real impact players on the defense. If he can take that next step up and become a star, our secondary could be truly nasty for opposing passing games. Teams won't want to throw at us, and will game plan to keep the ball on the ground, which would allow us to start sliding Corey Mosely up into the box in run support (where he truly excels). It would keep scores low and make games shorter, and it would give us a chance to win some games that maybe we shouldn't be able to win. Thus, McLeod might be the key to unlocking the entire defense's potential. Not just that, but he might be the key to unlocking the entire team's potential.

#2 Marc Verica -- QB1 always will (and should) have a place near the top of the list.  Considering the fact that only FRESHMEN are behind him on the depth chart, you'll likely be able to draw pretty strong and obvious parallels between Verica's success in 2010 and the team's success in 2010.  If he goes belly-up, so will the team.

#1 Ras-I Dowling -- He's our best player by a country mile, so of course he's at the top of the list.  If Ras-I can put together a good season and earn a 1st round draft pick in April, he will help calm the notion that UVA's talent level is down and that the program is flatlined.  He's the one player on the team that I can honestly say is a star player at this point... and that means he has to produce on the field this fall.