Break it down by the 3 major areas (Offense, Defense, Coaching/Schemes)
Last year we learned a lot about the 4-3, Schmidt, McGlinchey, etc. during spring practice.
This year I'm looking for:
Offense:
1.) QB Battle -- Obvious, but a lot to watch here. Mainly, does Golson "Want to Compete?" because if his head is in the right place, I still think he's the best 'every down QB' on roster, and a potential game changer for 2015. I'll also be interested to see what they're asking each QB to do, and how Zaire improves in his "finer passing mechanics".
2.) Consistency/Physicality from the O-Line -- The OL showed out in bursts last year (LSU, FSU, Stanford, etc.) but there were tons of times that we looked flat and weak on the OL. I want to see this group show a lot of cohesiion, phyiscality, and consistency in the spring. We already know about the athleticism, experience, and ceiling they bring to the table.
3.) Catching the ball consisteny at WR -- We have a lot of options at WR, most of them have proven production, and almost all have at least 1 "elite skill" to bring to the table. Variey, talent, and experience are here. The only thing we appear to be missing is consistent hands catching accross the board. Whatever 3 WRs show the most consistent catching ability will be the 3 that rise to the top imo.
4.) TE stepping up -- Smythe was praised heavily by Kelly, but played sparringly. Luatua made onto the field as an H-Back, and looked good at times. Weishar, Heuerman, and Jones have a lot pass catching ability. We need 1-2 of these players to step up, and really show that they belong on the field over another RB or WR. Can Smythe bring consistency and physicality in blocking? Can Luatua improve as a playmaker? Can any of Weishar/Jones/Heuerman show enough to get on the field?
Defense:
1.) Health -- No question this was our biggest problem on defense in 2014. I'll be watching/reading to see the progress of:
J. Jones -- How close is he? Is he able to stay in shape?
Schmidt -- Will he be full go by fall practice?
Grace -- Is he ever going to fully recover? Can he play in spring? Will he be an option by fall camp?
Tranquill -- How is he recovering? What will he be able to give us this fall?
Cage -- How well has he been able to workout, with his injury?
2.) Mental progression at Safety -- They have all the physical talent in the world, and now have experience. We need to see much better organization, communication, and decision making from this unit (both pre and post snap). We need to hear about their intense work in the film room and them "getting it" and playing faster during drills and schrimmages
3.) Individual Edge Rushers -- We have guys that are capable of making plays on the interior (Day/Jones) and are able to generate some pressures with a lot of blitzes...however, we weren't able to have our DE's win on their own and make plays in the backfield. We have more options, maturity, and talent in 2015 (Rochell, Okwara, Trumbetti, Ishaq, etc.) and we're going to need them start winning some battles
4.) Position/Players at LB -- It seems like we might well have more starters/guys than we have positions at LB, so it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. This is especially true with "position flexible" guys like Jaylon, Morgan, Onwaulu, and Tranquill. How do Schmidt/Grace/Morgan shake out at MLB? Does Jaylon play SLB or WLB? Are Onwaulu/Tranquill at SLB or SS?
Coaching/Schemes:
1.) Who recruits Texas/Lousianna/Southwest? -- This has been a major emphasis the last couple years, and I love it. I think it's a KEY area for ND to recruit and recruit well. (Better than the deep south or cali). Cooks was great for us here. Who steps up here?
2.) How much "Option" are we running? -- I'll be interested to see how much we're using option, if we are running it with both Golson and Zaire, if it looks like a package or more of staple of the offense (ala LSU), etc.
3.) How agressive/exotic will the defense be? -- Being agressive was good for us early on (when we looked more organized, with Schmidt on the field), but burned us more and more against spread offenses and later in the season (when we looked desperate). It will be interesting to see how shakes out, especially with the ?'s at the MLB and S positions.
Last year we learned a lot about the 4-3, Schmidt, McGlinchey, etc. during spring practice.
This year I'm looking for:
Offense:
1.) QB Battle -- Obvious, but a lot to watch here. Mainly, does Golson "Want to Compete?" because if his head is in the right place, I still think he's the best 'every down QB' on roster, and a potential game changer for 2015. I'll also be interested to see what they're asking each QB to do, and how Zaire improves in his "finer passing mechanics".
2.) Consistency/Physicality from the O-Line -- The OL showed out in bursts last year (LSU, FSU, Stanford, etc.) but there were tons of times that we looked flat and weak on the OL. I want to see this group show a lot of cohesiion, phyiscality, and consistency in the spring. We already know about the athleticism, experience, and ceiling they bring to the table.
3.) Catching the ball consisteny at WR -- We have a lot of options at WR, most of them have proven production, and almost all have at least 1 "elite skill" to bring to the table. Variey, talent, and experience are here. The only thing we appear to be missing is consistent hands catching accross the board. Whatever 3 WRs show the most consistent catching ability will be the 3 that rise to the top imo.
4.) TE stepping up -- Smythe was praised heavily by Kelly, but played sparringly. Luatua made onto the field as an H-Back, and looked good at times. Weishar, Heuerman, and Jones have a lot pass catching ability. We need 1-2 of these players to step up, and really show that they belong on the field over another RB or WR. Can Smythe bring consistency and physicality in blocking? Can Luatua improve as a playmaker? Can any of Weishar/Jones/Heuerman show enough to get on the field?
Defense:
1.) Health -- No question this was our biggest problem on defense in 2014. I'll be watching/reading to see the progress of:
J. Jones -- How close is he? Is he able to stay in shape?
Schmidt -- Will he be full go by fall practice?
Grace -- Is he ever going to fully recover? Can he play in spring? Will he be an option by fall camp?
Tranquill -- How is he recovering? What will he be able to give us this fall?
Cage -- How well has he been able to workout, with his injury?
2.) Mental progression at Safety -- They have all the physical talent in the world, and now have experience. We need to see much better organization, communication, and decision making from this unit (both pre and post snap). We need to hear about their intense work in the film room and them "getting it" and playing faster during drills and schrimmages
3.) Individual Edge Rushers -- We have guys that are capable of making plays on the interior (Day/Jones) and are able to generate some pressures with a lot of blitzes...however, we weren't able to have our DE's win on their own and make plays in the backfield. We have more options, maturity, and talent in 2015 (Rochell, Okwara, Trumbetti, Ishaq, etc.) and we're going to need them start winning some battles
4.) Position/Players at LB -- It seems like we might well have more starters/guys than we have positions at LB, so it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. This is especially true with "position flexible" guys like Jaylon, Morgan, Onwaulu, and Tranquill. How do Schmidt/Grace/Morgan shake out at MLB? Does Jaylon play SLB or WLB? Are Onwaulu/Tranquill at SLB or SS?
Coaching/Schemes:
1.) Who recruits Texas/Lousianna/Southwest? -- This has been a major emphasis the last couple years, and I love it. I think it's a KEY area for ND to recruit and recruit well. (Better than the deep south or cali). Cooks was great for us here. Who steps up here?
2.) How much "Option" are we running? -- I'll be interested to see how much we're using option, if we are running it with both Golson and Zaire, if it looks like a package or more of staple of the offense (ala LSU), etc.
3.) How agressive/exotic will the defense be? -- Being agressive was good for us early on (when we looked more organized, with Schmidt on the field), but burned us more and more against spread offenses and later in the season (when we looked desperate). It will be interesting to see how shakes out, especially with the ?'s at the MLB and S positions.
