Lots of wariness, worry and pessimism on this board about the upcoming football season. Tough schedule, losing lots of playmakers and concerns about ILBs, safety positions and depth to name a few. All of these concerns are valid.
A few things to keep in mind to temper some of this:
1. It’s college football. All teams have to worry about these kinds of things to some degree, especially turnover.
2. Two of our biggest rivals in the North, the Washington schools, are breaking in new QB’s. Two of our non-conference rivals, NW and UCF, are also breaking in new QBs. We are returning one of the best in the league.
3. The conference schedule, while tough, is more favourable to us in odd years. We get Washington, Oregon and Cal at home. Also NW and ND at home.
4. Several components of the pass defence could be really good to elite. Paulson Adebo is as good of a corner as we’ve had in years, and if reports are to be believed, Eboh could be really good. I think we have some excellent edge rushers, with considerable depth to boot.
5. The D line has considerable playing time under their belts and has been marinading in the system for a few years now.
6. Elite pass catching tight end in Parkinson, and some young receivers that look like they have some real playmaking abilities after the catch.
7. Reliable RB in Scarlett, who can catch the ball and knows the playbook cold. A couple of other veteran guys that seem at least serviceable, and one incoming freshman who by all accounts could be the next in a series of great Cardinal backs.
8. A LT who has the potential to be a first round NFL pick.
9. A fair bit of experience on the rest of the OL.
10. Not sure about others views, and I know he doesn’t have much experience, but I am intrigued by what I saw during the spring game by Ricky Miezan at ILB. Big physical kid who can move and tackle.
End of the day, I think much of the season comes down to whether the O line can stay healthy and gel. Some good pieces there, and if they perform so that we have a decent running game to complement what I think could be a very good passing game, it will take a lot of pressure off the defense. I could see this team going anywhere from 7-5 to 10-2.
A few things to keep in mind to temper some of this:
1. It’s college football. All teams have to worry about these kinds of things to some degree, especially turnover.
2. Two of our biggest rivals in the North, the Washington schools, are breaking in new QB’s. Two of our non-conference rivals, NW and UCF, are also breaking in new QBs. We are returning one of the best in the league.
3. The conference schedule, while tough, is more favourable to us in odd years. We get Washington, Oregon and Cal at home. Also NW and ND at home.
4. Several components of the pass defence could be really good to elite. Paulson Adebo is as good of a corner as we’ve had in years, and if reports are to be believed, Eboh could be really good. I think we have some excellent edge rushers, with considerable depth to boot.
5. The D line has considerable playing time under their belts and has been marinading in the system for a few years now.
6. Elite pass catching tight end in Parkinson, and some young receivers that look like they have some real playmaking abilities after the catch.
7. Reliable RB in Scarlett, who can catch the ball and knows the playbook cold. A couple of other veteran guys that seem at least serviceable, and one incoming freshman who by all accounts could be the next in a series of great Cardinal backs.
8. A LT who has the potential to be a first round NFL pick.
9. A fair bit of experience on the rest of the OL.
10. Not sure about others views, and I know he doesn’t have much experience, but I am intrigued by what I saw during the spring game by Ricky Miezan at ILB. Big physical kid who can move and tackle.
End of the day, I think much of the season comes down to whether the O line can stay healthy and gel. Some good pieces there, and if they perform so that we have a decent running game to complement what I think could be a very good passing game, it will take a lot of pressure off the defense. I could see this team going anywhere from 7-5 to 10-2.