Extremely difficult. This year, I think we struggled to find out who our best four WRs were and who our best five OL were. This led to inconsistent play from the two groups all year.
Assuming they’ll be healthy, our WR corps will be MUCH better. I believe they collectively have just enough talent to be pass catching threats. What I have not seen is any type of dog mentality, whether in going to catch the ball or in blocking. The ability to block and play tough should separate the 1s from the 2s.
Finding the right five on OL AND placing them in their positions where they will have the best chance to succeed will be a challenge. Everyone moved around so much that getting comfortable as a group was impossible. Some struggled with footwork, some with getting over extended, some with S&C, but a lot of the breakdowns were a result of the inability to play well together. The group was young this year, and coaching should help them develop as a group. Specifically, Sadler should move to tackle after gaining a few more pounds and upper body strength - his punch lacked some, well, punch and could be bullrushed, but he moves well enough to play any position. Leigh needs to get into better shape. Couldn’t move well enough to pull as their scheme demands but has some quickness. Miller has got to work on his balance/bend if he’s going to stay at tackle. Tends to get over-extended since he is an aggressive player. But I digress…..
I think there’s enough talent for the offense to be much improved. Just gotta find the right mix early in the season… looking forward to seeing the improvements…
I'm really hoping Luke can work some magic with what we have. It looked pretty bad yesterday and most of the year, really. The WR room looks like it needs some better coaching, too (blocking especially). Hopefully there will be some help coming with the freshmen and Turner coming back. The offense really needs to get to the level of the defense. Special teams should be good next year if we can find a fieldgoal kicker. Next year could be a step up. GO TIGERS!!!