Success in my eyes for 2021 is a bowl game and a winning record at the end of the season but I can easily see this team shaping up to be a very solid 8-4 type team and similar to our 08 squad which had the lowest expectations of any of bowdens post 1985 groups and yet exceeded expectations and was a goal line fumble away from a ten win season and ACC title birth.
Qb-Milton and Travis are proven playmakers. Travis is particular deadly if he has a backup who can take the load off him if he’s banged up and has to start playing less aggressively. Milton pre injury is heisman candidate, post injury should still be a solid ACC starter. Not expecting 09 ponder but could be 08/10 versions.
Oline- lots of attention has been given to the improvements to this group via development, transfers and new signees. I think what hasn’t been given enough attention is the fact Norvells entire system is built around two functional tight ends which he now has and didn’t a year ago. This puts less pressure on our tackles and therefore makes injuries at that position painful but not apocalyptic.
Wr- I’ll believe it when I see it but tough to shine when you have Blackman or a guy who specializes with his feet and short passes behind a bad line. Surely there will be growing pains but our starters would start at half the teams in the conference. Also again on QBs, zero time to get in sync with a new offense preseason.
TB- easiest transition from high school on the team and although not game breaking, a very solid unit.
most importantly, this group was very successful in early game situations last year despite having virtually no practice time to learn offense. Mike norvell literally scripted touchdowns on the first possessions last year like a junior midget coach drawing plays in the sand for his kids to go execute. This has the ability to be a solid if not potent offense.
defensively, sure, last year was a dumpster fire but ultimately you can’t teach a defense on zoom calls and without tackling practice in the preseason. Results should have still been better but the D line on paper is a formidable group for the acc. The linebackers have talent and the secondary was the most highly recruited group on our team.
this is a show me year for fuller. Some were ready to pull the plug on him half way through last year. I wasn’t one of them but there is no excuses to not be a reliable to solid unit this year.
I tie this back to 08 because of the expectations but also because 08 was Jimbos second year in the system as well and his first with a qb who was neither entirely immobile or didn’t know the offense. He had a young group but the right pieces in place, similar to this years group and although not world beaters, was strong enough that with a good defense delivered a good year, almost a very good one.
this team will need to be the inverse of 08 with the offense carrying the defense but both sides have significantly more potential from a talent standpoint than any year since 18, more depth than any team since 17 and better qb play than any year since at least 16.
Like 08 were probably going to get our doors blown off by one rival whose a title contender. The rest of the games are either slight dogs, slight favorites or toss ups. I think there is some underestimation still of the impact losing the ability to coach in covid had on this team. I’ve seen it before that “everyone else was in the same boat”. They were not. We had America’s youngest team last year. It’s a little different handing a high school kid a playbook and saying go study versus handing a kid whose been in your system 2-3 years a playbook and saying go master this and watch your film from last year and we’ll talk about where you need to improve. Especially when the lights come on and those youngsters have to start performing in a physical environment they’ve never seen.
I’ve worn garnet glasses before but I’m not sure we won’t see 19 to 20 UM level improvement.
Will be interesting to see
Qb-Milton and Travis are proven playmakers. Travis is particular deadly if he has a backup who can take the load off him if he’s banged up and has to start playing less aggressively. Milton pre injury is heisman candidate, post injury should still be a solid ACC starter. Not expecting 09 ponder but could be 08/10 versions.
Oline- lots of attention has been given to the improvements to this group via development, transfers and new signees. I think what hasn’t been given enough attention is the fact Norvells entire system is built around two functional tight ends which he now has and didn’t a year ago. This puts less pressure on our tackles and therefore makes injuries at that position painful but not apocalyptic.
Wr- I’ll believe it when I see it but tough to shine when you have Blackman or a guy who specializes with his feet and short passes behind a bad line. Surely there will be growing pains but our starters would start at half the teams in the conference. Also again on QBs, zero time to get in sync with a new offense preseason.
TB- easiest transition from high school on the team and although not game breaking, a very solid unit.
most importantly, this group was very successful in early game situations last year despite having virtually no practice time to learn offense. Mike norvell literally scripted touchdowns on the first possessions last year like a junior midget coach drawing plays in the sand for his kids to go execute. This has the ability to be a solid if not potent offense.
defensively, sure, last year was a dumpster fire but ultimately you can’t teach a defense on zoom calls and without tackling practice in the preseason. Results should have still been better but the D line on paper is a formidable group for the acc. The linebackers have talent and the secondary was the most highly recruited group on our team.
this is a show me year for fuller. Some were ready to pull the plug on him half way through last year. I wasn’t one of them but there is no excuses to not be a reliable to solid unit this year.
I tie this back to 08 because of the expectations but also because 08 was Jimbos second year in the system as well and his first with a qb who was neither entirely immobile or didn’t know the offense. He had a young group but the right pieces in place, similar to this years group and although not world beaters, was strong enough that with a good defense delivered a good year, almost a very good one.
this team will need to be the inverse of 08 with the offense carrying the defense but both sides have significantly more potential from a talent standpoint than any year since 18, more depth than any team since 17 and better qb play than any year since at least 16.
Like 08 were probably going to get our doors blown off by one rival whose a title contender. The rest of the games are either slight dogs, slight favorites or toss ups. I think there is some underestimation still of the impact losing the ability to coach in covid had on this team. I’ve seen it before that “everyone else was in the same boat”. They were not. We had America’s youngest team last year. It’s a little different handing a high school kid a playbook and saying go study versus handing a kid whose been in your system 2-3 years a playbook and saying go master this and watch your film from last year and we’ll talk about where you need to improve. Especially when the lights come on and those youngsters have to start performing in a physical environment they’ve never seen.
I’ve worn garnet glasses before but I’m not sure we won’t see 19 to 20 UM level improvement.
Will be interesting to see
