- Jun 12, 2014
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FOUNDING MEMBER
After having to wait an extra week for the season to open, it was good to see us take the field and not only put up a lot of points, but also secure a shut-out. It's been a while since that has happened around these parts. Yeah, it was only Eastern Michigan, but you'll recall that there has been a three year clamor for this type of game. Funny thing, some among us that have been doing a lot of the clamoring seem more worried now than ever!? I guess that's to be expected with Muschamp's appeal rating being similar to that of the seated president. Still, it was good to see us scoring and having fun again. Here's a few things that struck me:
*We've got a great stable of backs and I thought the ball got distributed pretty well on Saturday. From a couple of the comments I read, there may be a lilttle worry with Matt Jones getting the starting nod over Kelvin Taylor. Both got their touches and scores and even Mack Brown had some good runs. It's a long season and the backs usually will have some injury issues throughout, so the depth should pay off as we get deeper into the schedule. My favorite back is the one that's carrying the ball. It's good that we have four we know that can make something happen. We'll probably need them all before the season concludes.
*Nice to see Dubose healthy and doing what he does best on special teams. Punt returns can change momentum very quickly and while it likely wasn't crucial to the outcome Saturday, it is another weapon that the opponents have to prepare for. Hope he can stay healthy.
*Liking what I saw defensively, though again it was against a lesser opponent. Saw some good things from the DL and DB's...two pretty deep position groups (though they certainly need to accumulate experience). I'd like to see Morrison be a leader among the LB's. We'll have to see how that develops. I'm optimistic about this whole unit and anticipating them being good statistically, but even better in terms of efficiency with what looks to be a better plan with more playmakers on the other side of the ball.
*Not surprised to hear the vote being sort of split on Driskel. I'd say he was more efficient than spectacular by far, but as has been noted, some of that was probably by design. I thought he had a nice deep hook up with Dunbar (I think), but the ball was loose after the receiver hit the ground. Still, he managed the offense and took what EM gave him. Had a nice escape from what looked like a sure sack. He'll likely always have his detractors until he lights things up, or at least doesn't make some of the mistakes of the past that dwell among many minds.
*Treon Harris certainly looked good in his stint. Kind of creates an interesting situation with him and Grier. Might have put the Carolina kid inthe backseat for a while, but who knows what will happen in terms of injuries, opportunities that are taken advantage of, etc.? Harris had two nice deep balls and that was nice to see, even in a mop up.
*Hated that Humphries went down for a couple of weeks, but Sharpe looks like he might be able to play a little. Tyler Moore was a little scary at times, but overall, the line under Summers looked a whole lot better than what we saw from the group under Davis' leadership. They've got to stay healthy and grow with the experience gained like another group.
*Hate it for McGee, but how about Clay Burton, "Mr. Possession Receiver!" I'll take that production over what we had last year.
Feel free to add and excuse me if I seem really happy, but that kind of start was a little tonic for what has been a pretty miserable off-season! Go Gators!
*We've got a great stable of backs and I thought the ball got distributed pretty well on Saturday. From a couple of the comments I read, there may be a lilttle worry with Matt Jones getting the starting nod over Kelvin Taylor. Both got their touches and scores and even Mack Brown had some good runs. It's a long season and the backs usually will have some injury issues throughout, so the depth should pay off as we get deeper into the schedule. My favorite back is the one that's carrying the ball. It's good that we have four we know that can make something happen. We'll probably need them all before the season concludes.
*Nice to see Dubose healthy and doing what he does best on special teams. Punt returns can change momentum very quickly and while it likely wasn't crucial to the outcome Saturday, it is another weapon that the opponents have to prepare for. Hope he can stay healthy.
*Liking what I saw defensively, though again it was against a lesser opponent. Saw some good things from the DL and DB's...two pretty deep position groups (though they certainly need to accumulate experience). I'd like to see Morrison be a leader among the LB's. We'll have to see how that develops. I'm optimistic about this whole unit and anticipating them being good statistically, but even better in terms of efficiency with what looks to be a better plan with more playmakers on the other side of the ball.
*Not surprised to hear the vote being sort of split on Driskel. I'd say he was more efficient than spectacular by far, but as has been noted, some of that was probably by design. I thought he had a nice deep hook up with Dunbar (I think), but the ball was loose after the receiver hit the ground. Still, he managed the offense and took what EM gave him. Had a nice escape from what looked like a sure sack. He'll likely always have his detractors until he lights things up, or at least doesn't make some of the mistakes of the past that dwell among many minds.
*Treon Harris certainly looked good in his stint. Kind of creates an interesting situation with him and Grier. Might have put the Carolina kid inthe backseat for a while, but who knows what will happen in terms of injuries, opportunities that are taken advantage of, etc.? Harris had two nice deep balls and that was nice to see, even in a mop up.
*Hated that Humphries went down for a couple of weeks, but Sharpe looks like he might be able to play a little. Tyler Moore was a little scary at times, but overall, the line under Summers looked a whole lot better than what we saw from the group under Davis' leadership. They've got to stay healthy and grow with the experience gained like another group.
*Hate it for McGee, but how about Clay Burton, "Mr. Possession Receiver!" I'll take that production over what we had last year.
Feel free to add and excuse me if I seem really happy, but that kind of start was a little tonic for what has been a pretty miserable off-season! Go Gators!
