I think almost every position on the team will be improved quite a bit next year.
QB: Can't get much worse. Getting one of the guys in there and developing the offensive scheme from there will help. If it's going to be Hawkins again I don't see how they try to run the misdirection shotgun without the threat of a running QB again, that offense has Hansen written all over it.
RB: Wasn't really very bad this year, especially considering the poor OL play. Scott in better shape and not hobbled by injury all year will help a ton. We need to be running the ball 40-50 times a game, not throwing it 40 times a game next year.
WR: Again, can't go anywhere but up. They need to use Josh Smith and Scotty McKnight in that Patriots Randy Moss/Wes Welker role. Let Smith go deep and force safety help on him and let McKnight work the underneath area. Simas eligible, Blackmon doing something with his size/speed combo and some of the recruits we have coming in could also really contribute. I also would like to see them get Espinoza the ball a couple times a game on some WR screens or something, he has some moves.
TE: Should be right there with RB as our best position on offense. They need to be a much bigger factor in the passing game than they were this year.
OL: Only losing one starter should help this unit. Everyone gets a little stronger and more seasoned. I thought they played pretty well at the end of the year so I hope they'll be ok.
DL: This is the one unit I'm really worried about. Cunningham made some plays and looks ok, but can he hold up as a starter for an entire season? I think he played last season in the 260 range, he'll need to be bigger than that to hold up. I don't even know what to think of the DE possibilities and the other DT spot.
LB: Everyone is saying not to rely on unproven players, but when those unproved players are Jon Major, Lynn Katoa and Doug Rippy, I'm going to bank on at least 2 of them being pretty useful players. Add that to pretty much everyone else returning, minus Brad Jones plus Beatty to fill in his spot, this unit should see a lot more production.
DB: A huge surprise last year as they played pretty well. I want to see them be a little more aggressive this year, 10 yards off the line of scrimmage really hurts my eyes. Replacing Dykes and Walters doesn't worry me too much after seeing Perkins and Mahnke play against Nebraska. All in all it's logical to assume they'll improve on stellar play last year.
K/P: Ugh. I'll just say that Goodman was at least very close on most of his misses. While setting a record for ineptitude, he also probably set the record for most upright hits. Either way I'm hoping that Grossnickle kid can come in and produce in the 70% range from 40 yards and closer. Special teams in general I don't even know what to say. How Riddle has a job still is beyond me, but lets hope it is like some have said, the onslaught on injuries forced subpar or unseasoned players onto these teams and thus their playing ability wasn't quite ready for it. I don't know, but with big heart players like Orms coming and Smart and Mahnke on the team, there's no reason for our coverage teams to not be pretty darn good.
