It's time for the real USF football fans to stand up. State why you think we will have success in 2015

[Guest]

My enthusiasm for this season is based on some flashes I saw last year and more flashes I saw in the Spring game, plus the way USF athletics overall ended the school year.

 

I really think this team has a chance to build something special - confidence begets confidence.  The football players saw that in the women's basketball team... in the baseball and tennis teams... and in the golf team, of all places.  I believe they are going through a summer with a mantra of "Not only CAN we do this, we WILL do this!"

 

From there, we still need to see how they will do on the field...

 

QB --  Flowers will be better this year.  Flowers was shaky last year.  I attribute that to two factors: the first being an 18-year-old, first-time-in-college kid who was placed under a really bright spotlight; the second being handed a playbook that did not suit his natual talents.  I saw things in the Spring game that reminded me of BJ, Grothe, and Blackwell.  Flowers will make and extend plays with his feet where White and even Bench would get sacked.  Yes, sometimes that means he will make bad judgements -- all three of the former QBs had higher-than-they-wanted interception to TD rratios.  But it also means that we may have some 3rd and short situations this fall that would have been 3rd and long last year.  4-5 yards may not seem like much, but it really does make it easuer to call plays.  (Remember, in 2006 Grothe threw more interceptions than touchdowns.  Many of those were not his fault as he was trying to make lemonade out of lemons, but they were great teaching opportunities).

 

RB -- Mack. Tice. Johnson.  Swanson.  Our stable of backs is the best we've ever had top to bottom.   Mack bulked up, which should help picking up a blitzing linebacker... and we know that Johnson and Swanson are great catching passes out of the backfield.

 

OL -- With the transfers and incoming freshmen, our line is bigger and more talented than we have had in a really long time.  I believe the OL was the primary failure on offense the past three seasons (at least) because they couldn't make holes for RBs and could not block for the QBs.  This year, if they can stay healthy and play as a unit - which is my only concern - this line will be winning the trenches against almost every defense we face (FSU will be the toughest we play by far).

 

WR -- We are not as deep as in seasons past, but I really like our guys.  Bronson has more speed than people think. And I really think Chase Whitehead will be a clutch performer for us -- he really does remind people of Wes Welker.  However, I think our WRs will do better this year because Flowers will be a threat to run, so the DBs might be cheating a bit to watch for a QB run when the play breaks down because of coverage.  Flowers did a couple of moves in the Spring game -- and the WRs got open.  I believe that will happen again.

 

DL -- The new 4-2-5 defense is really a modified 3-3-5, with the bigger OLB starting as a DE.  I love it.  We are going to get a lot more sacks this season than we did in the 3-4.  Senat is a future draft pick in the middle.  I can't wait to see Josh Black (or Zack Bullock) in the DE/LB hybrid position -- those guys can hit.

 

LB -- With the new scheme, putting two LBs on the field actually covers an area where we're a little weak at the moment.  Sanchez, Harris, Whitehurst, and Harley have good noses for the football in run support.  I am still worried about pass coverage on crossing routes, especially by opposing RBs and TEs.  Hopefully the extra DBs can help.

 

DB -- Five DBs is like playing a nickel defense every play.  Jamie Byrd is going to have a monster season, and will be drafted.  The Husky position will be roving a lot -- especially if oppposing teams only put 3 or 4 recievers in routes.  Byrd may lead the team in tackles for loss... last year, our defense may have been moved around - but we did not give up very many deep pass plays.  I think we will see more INTs this year as our DL gets pressure on opposing QBs and forces mistakes.

 

ST -- I have not really thought about our kicking and kick coverage game much.  It's important, but until I see more from Nadelman I will remain neutral.  Ciabatti is a solid punter, as long as he has time to kick.

 

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Beyond our team I will add this -- I don't see a team on our schedule that improved from last year to this year.  Maybe Temple and Cinnati... but I think every team lost key players (FSU, Maryland, ECU lost starting QBs... UCF lost their WRs and most of their defense... Memphis lost their top RB and WR... ECU lost their top WR... the list goes on).

 

There you have it.  For me it's not any ONE thing that will be the reason we will win.  For me everything builds on everything else.  A team with more confidence going into camp... better play all around will spiral upwards... and build inertia.  One extra first down... an extra sack on a less experienced QB... a QB scramble to avoid a sack and pick up four yards... a blitzing husky forcing a bad throw by an opposing QB... little things that really add up... espeically with the schedule this season.

USF will still be wildly inconsistent for one more season... but I think we'll be on the right side of that more often this year... and manage to go 7-5, with a couple more games that "woulda coulda shoulda."

[Guest]

Gotta remember, it's not like the rest of the conference took a year off.

 

Actually, I think they got worse -- most of our conference lost a lot of starters and are replacing them with unproven backups or incoming freshmen/transfers.

 

True, everyone had a signing class...  but I think the experience our players had losing last year and the year before will translate to more wins.

 

(Okay maybe not "worse" per se... but I think we took bigger strides from 2014 to 2015 than anyone else on our schedule... and I think we caught up to and even passed some of them)

[charsibb]

Jim, great breakdown of the talent - but it's not the talent that worries me. It's the coaching. I've seen nothing from CWT that shows he can call or manage a game. Without leadership, all that talent is wasted.

 

Here's hoping Taggs comes into his own this year and really shines in scheming, play-calling, and game management.

[NAM37]

Honestly, my goals are pretty low this year. All I really want is a year where my wife doesn't ask me why I'm still paying for season tickets to watch horrible football.  Entertain me and I'll be happy.

 

I think the talent Coach has assembled on both sides of the ball is high enough that all they need is a couple of things to play well this year:

 

1) Consistent QB play (we don't need a Heisman, just complete some passes...)

 

2) Energy (The players shouldn't look like they just wanna go home and play Xbox.)

 

3) Confidence (The players should act like the expect to win.)

 

If we can get these this year, I think we can have a decent year.

[BDYZR]

Personally gonna hold off for about 88 more days before I form an opinion.

I will say this, the biggest obstacle to this years football team will be Taggarts ego.

IF  we can overcome that, we have a chance.

[USFbulls24]

Success measured in the AAC should be either in the conference championship game or falling just short. I don't see either happening. 

[raptorcj]

Personally gonna hold off for about 88 more days before I form an opinion.

I will say this, the biggest obstacle to this years football team will be Taggarts ego.

IF  we can overcome that, we have a chance.

Is that still much of an issue after these first two seasons? I mean, he's eaten so much humble pie, he's voluntarily changing his build plan. I haven't seen a huge ego in his pressers, but maybe I've missed something along the way.

[NAM37]

Is that still much of an issue after these first two seasons? I mean, he's eaten so much humble pie, he's voluntarily changing his build plan. I haven't seen a huge ego in his pressers, but maybe I've missed something along the way.

 

I agree. I'm still hearing more over-confident coach-speech than I'd like, but I don't see much of an ego problem.

[BDYZR]

 

Is that still much of an issue after these first two seasons? I mean, he's eaten so much humble pie, he's voluntarily changing his build plan. I haven't seen a huge ego in his pressers, but maybe I've missed something along the way.

 

I agree. I'm still hearing more over-confident coach-speech than I'd like, but I don't see much of an ego problem.

 

Confident coach speak is easy. Some are good at pressers (Holtz), some are not (Leavitt). How long did it take him last year to take back play calling? Did he think he could do better? Was that ego?

This year with co-OC's, and him, calling plays? in an up-tempo offense? Play calling in the spring game left a lot to be desired. Even Taggart said it was slow. Did he suddenly learn to think ahead of the situation? Will he let the guy he brought in to put in a new offense run it?

 

I think we have the players. And I think we have the coaches to be successful, if they're allowed to be.

[dabull80]

Hope springs eternal.......Good luck  1.  Got a new OC   2.  Got a new DC.   So team is starting at ground -0- and you really think they are turning this boat around this season ?