There's been a lot of discussion on here lately about whether this team is more talented than last year's, and people trying to make the connection that since 2014 was 6-7 and we lost Dorsett, Duke, Flowers, Walford, and Perryman, then how can this team possibly be better? I've said from Day 1 that I feel this team is more talented, top to bottom, than last year's. I said we don't have 5 players better than those 5, but I feel that 1-80 this is a better, deeper team. So I wrote a LONG ass post comparing the two. Don't read it if you don't like. I kind of went in on this. But, although I do see the argument that 2014 has more talent just by those top guys, I disagree and I believe this team can be pretty damn good.
Of course, it's all my opinion and totally subjective. Some of the kids I mention on here really haven't done much, so it could be said that there's not as much proven talent as I'm leading on. But I tried to be as fair and balanced as I could. Here goes.
2014 QB -- Kaaya, Heaps, Williams
2015 QB -- Kaaya, Rosier
2015 looks to be MUCH better, at the most important position in sports. Rosier looks like a player and will give defenses more to prepare for, and obviously we all expect Kaaya to blossom into one of the best QBs in the country
2014 RB -- Duke, Gus, Yearby
2015 RB -- Gus, Yearby, Walton, Gray
Clearly losing the most productive back in the history of the program isn't a thing to celebrate. So there's going to be a talent drop-off at the top of this group. But I think this 2015 group can be pretty damn close to as good, simply because I feel that Yearby in year 2, fully off the injury, and with the added bulk can be a back that would start at 90% of the schools in America. All reports thus far on Walton are excellent, although as a true freshman he shouldn't be counted on much. And I'm very high on Gus, now in year 3. We all know we'll drop off here without Duke, but I think 1-4 this year could be close to as good as 1-3 was last year
2014 WR -- Dorsett, Coley, Waters, Lewis, Berrios
2015 WR -- Coley, Scott, Waters, Lewis, Berrios, Cager, Brady
Tell me again why we can't be better here in 2015? Everyone points to losing Dorsett as giving no chance to this group to be better and deeper in 2015. Why? Yes, Dorsett was excellent last year. He's a first-round WR and we have no one to replace that speed. But he caught 36 balls for 871 yards, and 10 TDs. That's good production, but it's not like he caught 100 balls and how in the world can we replace that? What if Stacy Coley was really injured all last year and reverts back to his 2013 form? He can easily be the best WR on the team. Rashawn Scott is looking like a beast. If he stays healthy, he can catch 40-50 balls. Waters is being praised left and right for his focus and production through camp. Berrios is in year 2 and fully recovered from the knee injury in HS. I see no reason that the 2015 group has to mandatorily be worse than 2014 because of Dorsett's loss. Scott and Coley are 2 pretty damn good players, and they were totally non-existent last year. And maybe Cager and/or Brady can provide some good depth, we'll see.
2014 TE -- Walford, Dobard
2015 TE -- Dobard, Herndon, Njoku, Washington
See above. Yes, we lost the top talent from last year. But we had 2 kids who could play last year. Now it looks like we have 4. This position has been getting raves all camp. It looks like there's 4 kids here who can really play. Now, of course they have to go do it. But I don't look at this and think that there's no chance the 2015 group can be as good as last year. It's certainly deeper. Someone needs to step up and at least come close to replicating Walford's output, but it's not out of the question that we can get 2 of these guys to do that. Again, another area where, IMO, the masses think "Wow we lost an NFL TE, we're gonna fall off", but in reality, the position as a whole could very well be deeper and even better. Ways to go to make that statement be reality, but it can happen with the talent here.
2014 OL -- Flowers, McDermott, Isadora, Feliciano, McDermott, Linder, Gadbois
2015 OL -- McDermott, Darling, Isadora, Gall, Linder, Odogwu, Knighton, Brown
We all know this is the biggest question mark on the team. No doubt losing a first-round tackle, an NFL pick guard, and your center will hurt. Also Gadbois has been dismissed. No sugar coating here, this unit will, logically, take a step back. This is the one area on the team, IMO, where we need the most production to step up. Someone like McDermott or Darling needs to really develop into that next NFL lineman, and someone like Gall needs to shore up another spot. We're all looking here. This one will be key to the progress and success of the team. 2014 in all likelihood to be better than 2015.
2014 DL -- Chickillo, Pierre, Heurtelou, Kamalu, Jenkins, Thomas, Wyche, Moten, Harris
2015 DL -- Muhammad, Heurtelou, Kamalu, Thomas, Wyche, Jenkins, Moten, Hamilton, Norton, Harris, Moore, Jackson
We played essentially with 9 defensive linemen the entire season last year. Of those 9, Chad was a true freshman, Moten was a true freshman and played very little, Harris was a true freshman and was way undersized, Jenkins was a true freshman, and Wyche was WAY out of shape. Over half the kids who played on the line did not belong there. ONE defensive lineman finished in the top 11 on the team in tackles. ONE. Now, maybe that's the two gap scheme everyone gets bent out of shape about. Or maybe those kids last year weren't very good. Either way, the production just has to be better this year. It can't be worse, really. Look at all those bodies there. Maybe you can say I don't see any impact players...we'll have to wait and see. But I see 7 or so kids who have played before and should be better than they were last year or the year before. And I see kids like Norton and Jackson who haven't played, but look primed to take 8-10 snaps a game. More than anything, I see DEPTH. Something that has not been seen on the defensive line since Golden arrived. This is one of the main causes for excitement for me this year. This group should be VASTLY improved. Maybe Melvin can teach them something. And maybe D'Onofrio will let them be more aggressive. But look at those names in 2014...that was it. You really had only 3 kids on the entire team who weren't first year players in this system. Half your rotation shouldn't be freshmen. Now maybe people will see why we got worn down in the 2nd half of games. We didn't have a chance. Now you have 12 kids who you'd like to think can give you a competitive rep if you need it. Kids are fresher, and can go harder when they're in. DEPTH.
2014 LB -- Denzel, McCord, Grace, Kirby, Owens, Armbrister, Young
2015 LB -- McCord, Grace, Kirby, Owens, Young, Gayot, Smith
This, IMO, is the biggest talent drop off area on the team from last year to this year. Hence, this to me, along with the OL, is the biggest wildcard on the team. Replacing your middle LB who very well could/should have been a first round pick is not easy. This will be a very big challenge for Kirby, McCord, and Grace. Also, this is one area where there simply can not be any significant injuries. Owens, Young, Gayot, and Smith haven't proven anything, obviously, so losing any of those Top 3 would be very troublesome. This is another reason why I was very in favor of getting Jamal Carter closer to the LOS and adding him to this group, at least in a hybrid role. I will have my breath held on his group all season. There is some hope...as Grace may be the fastest backer in America and finished 2nd on the team in tackles without starting a single game. He really needs to take his game to the next level. McCord and Kirby have played in this system for years. They need to step up as well. But I don't see quality depth here and when people say the 2014 team was more talented, this is the one area that I really can't argue with that sentiment. Need some help here badly and we need the 3 2016 commits to stick.
2014 DB -- Gunter, Howard, Bush, Dallas Crawford, Antonio Crawford, Carter, Burns, Elder, Fentress
2015 DB -- Howard, Bush, Dallas Crawford, Carter, Burns, Elder, Jenkins, Johnson, Mayes, Jackson, Redwine
This could be the strength of the team in 2015. Even with the losses of Gunter and Crawford, no way you can say this unit should not be much better this season. Losing Fentress is addition by subtraction. Burns looks primed to really take off. Elder is excellent. Tracy is Tracy...steady. Dallas Crawford is in year 2 on D. Carter got good burn last year. Bush is possibly an All-ACC candidate. And Jenkins back should be a huge addition. All reports about JJ is he is as good as we all know he is....super smart and will play this year. This unit is potentially the best in the ACC, IMO. At least top 2-3. Certainly improved from last year.
So all in all, I think the 2 most important position groups on the team, QB and DL, are much better and deeper. And as I've been saying, I think 1-5 maybe was more talented last year, but the team overall is deeper this season. JMO. I can see either argument, but we're deeper in the secondary, deeper on the DL, have a little less depth at LB but the depth wasn't great last season either...probably the same depth on the OL but losing Flowers hurts, more depth at WR, more depth at TE, more depth at RB. To me, I feel overall, the 3-deep of this team is more talented and with a good QB and DL, this team can beat anyone it plays. Gotta play your game and get some good coaching.
Of course, it's all my opinion and totally subjective. Some of the kids I mention on here really haven't done much, so it could be said that there's not as much proven talent as I'm leading on. But I tried to be as fair and balanced as I could. Here goes.
2014 QB -- Kaaya, Heaps, Williams
2015 QB -- Kaaya, Rosier
2015 looks to be MUCH better, at the most important position in sports. Rosier looks like a player and will give defenses more to prepare for, and obviously we all expect Kaaya to blossom into one of the best QBs in the country
2014 RB -- Duke, Gus, Yearby
2015 RB -- Gus, Yearby, Walton, Gray
Clearly losing the most productive back in the history of the program isn't a thing to celebrate. So there's going to be a talent drop-off at the top of this group. But I think this 2015 group can be pretty damn close to as good, simply because I feel that Yearby in year 2, fully off the injury, and with the added bulk can be a back that would start at 90% of the schools in America. All reports thus far on Walton are excellent, although as a true freshman he shouldn't be counted on much. And I'm very high on Gus, now in year 3. We all know we'll drop off here without Duke, but I think 1-4 this year could be close to as good as 1-3 was last year
2014 WR -- Dorsett, Coley, Waters, Lewis, Berrios
2015 WR -- Coley, Scott, Waters, Lewis, Berrios, Cager, Brady
Tell me again why we can't be better here in 2015? Everyone points to losing Dorsett as giving no chance to this group to be better and deeper in 2015. Why? Yes, Dorsett was excellent last year. He's a first-round WR and we have no one to replace that speed. But he caught 36 balls for 871 yards, and 10 TDs. That's good production, but it's not like he caught 100 balls and how in the world can we replace that? What if Stacy Coley was really injured all last year and reverts back to his 2013 form? He can easily be the best WR on the team. Rashawn Scott is looking like a beast. If he stays healthy, he can catch 40-50 balls. Waters is being praised left and right for his focus and production through camp. Berrios is in year 2 and fully recovered from the knee injury in HS. I see no reason that the 2015 group has to mandatorily be worse than 2014 because of Dorsett's loss. Scott and Coley are 2 pretty damn good players, and they were totally non-existent last year. And maybe Cager and/or Brady can provide some good depth, we'll see.
2014 TE -- Walford, Dobard
2015 TE -- Dobard, Herndon, Njoku, Washington
See above. Yes, we lost the top talent from last year. But we had 2 kids who could play last year. Now it looks like we have 4. This position has been getting raves all camp. It looks like there's 4 kids here who can really play. Now, of course they have to go do it. But I don't look at this and think that there's no chance the 2015 group can be as good as last year. It's certainly deeper. Someone needs to step up and at least come close to replicating Walford's output, but it's not out of the question that we can get 2 of these guys to do that. Again, another area where, IMO, the masses think "Wow we lost an NFL TE, we're gonna fall off", but in reality, the position as a whole could very well be deeper and even better. Ways to go to make that statement be reality, but it can happen with the talent here.
2014 OL -- Flowers, McDermott, Isadora, Feliciano, McDermott, Linder, Gadbois
2015 OL -- McDermott, Darling, Isadora, Gall, Linder, Odogwu, Knighton, Brown
We all know this is the biggest question mark on the team. No doubt losing a first-round tackle, an NFL pick guard, and your center will hurt. Also Gadbois has been dismissed. No sugar coating here, this unit will, logically, take a step back. This is the one area on the team, IMO, where we need the most production to step up. Someone like McDermott or Darling needs to really develop into that next NFL lineman, and someone like Gall needs to shore up another spot. We're all looking here. This one will be key to the progress and success of the team. 2014 in all likelihood to be better than 2015.
2014 DL -- Chickillo, Pierre, Heurtelou, Kamalu, Jenkins, Thomas, Wyche, Moten, Harris
2015 DL -- Muhammad, Heurtelou, Kamalu, Thomas, Wyche, Jenkins, Moten, Hamilton, Norton, Harris, Moore, Jackson
We played essentially with 9 defensive linemen the entire season last year. Of those 9, Chad was a true freshman, Moten was a true freshman and played very little, Harris was a true freshman and was way undersized, Jenkins was a true freshman, and Wyche was WAY out of shape. Over half the kids who played on the line did not belong there. ONE defensive lineman finished in the top 11 on the team in tackles. ONE. Now, maybe that's the two gap scheme everyone gets bent out of shape about. Or maybe those kids last year weren't very good. Either way, the production just has to be better this year. It can't be worse, really. Look at all those bodies there. Maybe you can say I don't see any impact players...we'll have to wait and see. But I see 7 or so kids who have played before and should be better than they were last year or the year before. And I see kids like Norton and Jackson who haven't played, but look primed to take 8-10 snaps a game. More than anything, I see DEPTH. Something that has not been seen on the defensive line since Golden arrived. This is one of the main causes for excitement for me this year. This group should be VASTLY improved. Maybe Melvin can teach them something. And maybe D'Onofrio will let them be more aggressive. But look at those names in 2014...that was it. You really had only 3 kids on the entire team who weren't first year players in this system. Half your rotation shouldn't be freshmen. Now maybe people will see why we got worn down in the 2nd half of games. We didn't have a chance. Now you have 12 kids who you'd like to think can give you a competitive rep if you need it. Kids are fresher, and can go harder when they're in. DEPTH.
2014 LB -- Denzel, McCord, Grace, Kirby, Owens, Armbrister, Young
2015 LB -- McCord, Grace, Kirby, Owens, Young, Gayot, Smith
This, IMO, is the biggest talent drop off area on the team from last year to this year. Hence, this to me, along with the OL, is the biggest wildcard on the team. Replacing your middle LB who very well could/should have been a first round pick is not easy. This will be a very big challenge for Kirby, McCord, and Grace. Also, this is one area where there simply can not be any significant injuries. Owens, Young, Gayot, and Smith haven't proven anything, obviously, so losing any of those Top 3 would be very troublesome. This is another reason why I was very in favor of getting Jamal Carter closer to the LOS and adding him to this group, at least in a hybrid role. I will have my breath held on his group all season. There is some hope...as Grace may be the fastest backer in America and finished 2nd on the team in tackles without starting a single game. He really needs to take his game to the next level. McCord and Kirby have played in this system for years. They need to step up as well. But I don't see quality depth here and when people say the 2014 team was more talented, this is the one area that I really can't argue with that sentiment. Need some help here badly and we need the 3 2016 commits to stick.
2014 DB -- Gunter, Howard, Bush, Dallas Crawford, Antonio Crawford, Carter, Burns, Elder, Fentress
2015 DB -- Howard, Bush, Dallas Crawford, Carter, Burns, Elder, Jenkins, Johnson, Mayes, Jackson, Redwine
This could be the strength of the team in 2015. Even with the losses of Gunter and Crawford, no way you can say this unit should not be much better this season. Losing Fentress is addition by subtraction. Burns looks primed to really take off. Elder is excellent. Tracy is Tracy...steady. Dallas Crawford is in year 2 on D. Carter got good burn last year. Bush is possibly an All-ACC candidate. And Jenkins back should be a huge addition. All reports about JJ is he is as good as we all know he is....super smart and will play this year. This unit is potentially the best in the ACC, IMO. At least top 2-3. Certainly improved from last year.
So all in all, I think the 2 most important position groups on the team, QB and DL, are much better and deeper. And as I've been saying, I think 1-5 maybe was more talented last year, but the team overall is deeper this season. JMO. I can see either argument, but we're deeper in the secondary, deeper on the DL, have a little less depth at LB but the depth wasn't great last season either...probably the same depth on the OL but losing Flowers hurts, more depth at WR, more depth at TE, more depth at RB. To me, I feel overall, the 3-deep of this team is more talented and with a good QB and DL, this team can beat anyone it plays. Gotta play your game and get some good coaching.
