There are a few things that I'm looking to find out about this Saturday: 1. Will the punt/kick coverage teams perform better this year. 2. How steady will the green quarterback be? 3. Will Pellini's two-headed replacement be up to the task? 4. Do we have a punter?
red, good questions to be sure. mebbe i'm in the minority, but i just don't see the "QB issue" to be as big of an issue as the media's perception has led it to be. With all of the exprerienced pieces surrounding Hatch, he really just needs to "manage" the game much in the way that Mauck did early in his playing tenure. The bigger question I'll be looking to answer in the first two games is whether the vacancy left by Hester can be suitably filled. Hester was not only a leader and a great blocker, but he was THE guy you could count on when things became dicey. Dood should have been named "Momentum Hester" .... very reliable, and definitely a game-changer. BTW, on a sidenote, I attended a Falcons practice a couple weeks ago and your boy CJ is looking real good .... he's making steady progress.
We won't really know that until we get punched in the mouth. And that's not likely until we play you guys. I don't see our backs having a tough go of it until then. I am most concerned about penalties. New QB, new cadence, etc. Penalties also put more pressure on the QB to get us out of 3rd and long, and increase our chances of a turnover. The line has got to help these guys out so they can manage the game, and not have to overcome it the way JR and MF had to on occasion.
I really am hoping that Lee gets playing time and handles the game really well. Handling the team at practice is fine and dandy but we all know that sometimes you get that rare young QB that just shines on gameday. I will refrain from giving names as examples as to not sound crazy for comparing Lee to them. But if somehow one of our QB's does have that "it" factor...wow, the sky is the limit for this team. I say Lee because he has the arm to make those special throws. I know we dont have to be great at QB to win because of our talent, but just imagine if we are great at QB? Also, I want one of the backs to show he is the man, and we need to give him the ball. (Murphy?) I want to see Chad Jones become the best SS in the country. Our Defensive Line dominate as they should. Along with first point, I want to see our Wide Receivers make plays. I know we need to find out for later.....but I hope the punter does not see the field except for warmups. :geauxtige
First of all, I want to see a win. Second, I want to see this team stay healthy. Injuries are part of the game, but one or two severe injuries can wreck a season. I know we have lots of quality depth, but we will need every bit of it for the long SEC season. Getting out of the first few games healthy is necessary to keep players fresh late in the season.
:thumb: But I doubt it. I'd settle for 40+. And two LSU RBs (Murphy and Scott) with over 100 yards rushing. And a shutout leading into the fourth quarter. And a positive turnover margin.
