I just dropped off our order forms for our pod of eleven $99 season tickets for the 2011 football season. My dear friend Nathan is joining us again this year, and I'm ecstatic about that. In an e-mail exchange we had yesterday, he said:
And I replied:
"What kind of overview would make you feel 'caught up,' and can I provide that on Wahooze?"
I'm nothing if not accommodating, right?
So I want to do a quick position-by-position primer for Nathan, as the Hoos exit spring practices and prepare for the hard work of the late spring and early summer with [UVA strength and conditioning coach] Evan Marcus.
To keep things short enough for Nathan to read quickly, I'm limiting myself to the Twitter standard of 140 characters for each of the positions. It's a quick, rapid-fire overview... but I hope it's enough to stoke Nathan's fire.
Let's get to it.
Quarterbacks
Looks like Rocco has the edge leaving the spring, but he's far from a sure thing. If any position can short-circuit the team, it's QB1.
Running Backs
Perry Jones = Tiki Barber Lite. Khalek Shepherd looked great at the spring game. Kevin Parks has a ton of talent. All are smaller backs.
Fullbacks
Milien/Fells-Danzer/Cobb looks like a solid trio. Are any capable of taking the tough 'tween-the-tackles carries left behind by Keith Payne?
Wide Receivers
NUMBERS! Kris Burd - good player. Tim Smith - burner. Matt Snyder - very solid. Incoming frosh Jennings and Terrell are explosive slot guys.
Tight Ends
'Tight End U' is back in effect! Colter Phillips is a B+ starter. Paul Freedman is a good #2. Look for a breakthru for H-back J. Mathis.
Offensive Line
Best starting five since 2004. Aboushi, Moses, and Pasztor are future pros. The depth looks solid across the board. PUMPED about the OL.
Defensive Ends
Cam Johnson will be one of our stars. Scrum at LDE will include Jake Snyder and Brent Urban. Bill Schautz will force his way into action.
Defensive Tackles
Solid with two senior starters -- Jenkins & Conrath. Need to find a difference-making powerhouse. Brathwaite could be that guy; he's a stud.
Linebackers
Greer at mike will make a ton of plays. LaRoy Reynolds will be much improved. Worried about the other OLB spot. Depth is a tad shaky.
Safeties
Mosley & McLeod are three-year starters. They should be good, but we've seen their liabilities. Depth chart is unsettled after those two.
Cornerbacks
Love Minnifield, total ballhawk. Rijo Walker had a good spring. True frosh Nicholson will likely start; most talented player on the team?
Kickers/Punters
Randolph is accurate but has a weak leg. Howell is rock solid at punter. Worried about long field goals and kickoffs. Can Hinkebein step up?
Returners
Shepherd could be a standout. E.J. Scott might find a role here. Excited to see the Jennings/Terrell duo at work. Pair of gamebreakers.
Coverage Units
Expecting much improvement in this area as London's push to recruit speed starts bearing fruit with all the young guys on special teams.
Offensive Coordinator
Lazor must find a develop a good QB1. In the meantime, he'll need to lean on the running game. Is it possible without a big power back?
Defensive Coordinator
Reid MUST show us improved run fits and tackling. I'm looking to see more blitzing. There are a lot of improvements needed on D, in general.
Head Coach
London needs to get to 6 wins and a bowl, else the honeymoon phase will turn sour. He has some key decisions to make on redshirts this year.
(For Paulie) 2012 NFL Draft
Kris Burd, Cam Johnson, Chase Minnifield, and Austin Pasztor will play on Sundays. Nick Jenkins and Rodney McLeod will have a chance.
Overall
If we had a good QB, this is a 7-8 win team. The schedule is cake, so six wins should happen. The O will be okay, the D will be better.
That was fun. Much tougher than I thought it'd be. 140 characters go quickly.
Thanks, K. This is perfect---easy to swallow but filling. I'll print this out and keep it in my pocket.
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