Ramblings and Predictions

[The Football Fan]

Ramblings
We have 3 recruits verbally committed, yet with all the excitement around those junior days and such, it almost feels like we're behind where we were last year. I checked though and to my surprise....we only had 2 commits this time last year. Folks started to pop last year around this time. Last year we got 1 in late March and 3 in April, most months we would just get 2 at a time. With a few extra slots we may get a few more months with 3 commits. The recruits we're bringing in for visits have really impressive ratings. If just one of these bigger name guys would go ahead and commit, it could set off a few more. I would really like to see Darian Roseboro and/or Jalen Dalton commit. Both are DEs from North Carolina and it would make a huge statement to get in state commits from highly rated guys. Dalton has a 98 out of 100 rating with 247 sports and he seemed to enjoy his visit to Duke. I also like Reggie Gallaspy. He's a running back that seems like an every down back. He's 5-11, so with a little work he be a great blocker on 3rd down or picking up the blitz, but when he runs got just enough slipperiness that unless a tackler has a good angle, he's hard to bring down. You see a lot of arm tackles that slip right off him when you watch his tape. He uses his blocks well and has the speed to take advantage of holes. There may be a few backs better we're after, but Gallaspy would be one of our better rated backs and we've hit some really good ones of late. Again, NC boy, so...helps with recruiting locally if we can get these guys to go for Duke.

Surprises for next year
I think the TE group will be a huge factor that helps us next year and will be largely overlooked by the media. Braxton D had some great plays last year and really made a statement at the end of the year. Beyond him though...Duke quietly has some of their highest rated talent at the TE position...Beilinson was 29 rated TE in country by Scout. David Reeves was rated 51st and Koppenhaver 67th. All of these guys were 3 star talent. You could put in a 3 TE set, Crowder out wide and with either Boone or Connette still have a legit threat to throw or run the ball very effectively. I think this will be a group to watch as we work to create mismatches. Crowder is so good, only a few teams can take a chance with him on an island. Most teams will have to put two guys on Crowder. That can create a numbers game that makes you hard to stop.

Excited about
So much to be excited about....but I'll go with the WR position... are you kidding me! We haven't had a draft lock at Duke in forever.... if Crowder is healthy at the end of the year, he'll get drafted...the question is what round. On top of that, we have some players developing nicely and the new recruit Lee looks like all that and a bucket of chicken.

Concerns
I'm still leery of the DL. Sydney S. was a big big man. someone has to be able to stand'm up so the quick guys can get in there and stop the backs behind the line on 3rd or 4th and short. Who does that this year. Sydney had the fewest tackles of the DLs we lose, but he may be the hardest to replace. Johnson and JDO can replace Fox and Annunike, but Wray and Bruce are shorter...I just don't know they do what that a 6-4 300lb dude can. The newest recruits Cernord or Ferguson have some size...but there's a difference between a freshman and a redshirt senior. Wolf or Raynor are going to have to make a leap...be stronger than their weight or pack on some good weight to meet that demand. To me, like our team everywhere, but this is my biggest concern.

Next...QB play that cuts down on turnovers. We made a lot of big plays, but its a senior year so the INTs have to go down.

I'd love to hear others thoughts... predictions, concerns,... what are you really looking forward to seeing.

[Bob Green]

I'd love to hear others thoughts... predictions, concerns,... what are you really looking forward to seeing.

I'll write more later, but with the Spring Game injury to Lucas Patrick, depth along the OL is a concern. It all starts in the trenches.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

When you talk about TE depth and quality which Duke has quietly assembled of late, you have to include Erich Schnieder out of Jacksonville Beach, FL. He was one of the top in that position for is class... reminiscent of Jimmy Graham.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml? ... EASON=2014

[The Football Fan]

When you talk about TE depth and quality which Duke has quietly assembled of late, you have to include Erich Schnieder out of Jacksonville Beach, FL. He was one of the top in that position for is class... reminiscent of Jimmy Graham.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml? ... EASON=2014

Very good point. I knew I had missed one, but was in a hurry to get my thoughts down before running off to bed. Most of the sites listed Erich as a WR which may have affected his rating. The rival website rated him well at TE with 3 stars.

On the O-line...yeah, could be a concern if Patrick continues to have the injury bug. Based on the last thing I heard, I thought Patrick's injury wasn't considered serious with no surgery planned. Even so, I think one of the key differences in the recent Duke teams vs. those of old is the quality of depth behind the starters. Aprahamian and Robinson were also in that class with Patrick and are very solid players. Not sure about Aprahamian, but I know I've seen Robinson in games so he's a baller. Austin Davis at 6-5 has looked good at Center per Coach and with the 6-5 300lb size, he could fill in at another guard spot if needed. I certainly don't want to have to go that route, but we have some quality depth on the O-line.

[Bob Green]

When you talk about TE depth and quality which Duke has quietly assembled of late, you have to include Erich Schnieder out of Jacksonville Beach, FL. He was one of the top in that position for is class... reminiscent of Jimmy Graham.

It's easy, but a mistake, to overlook Schneider because he sat out last season. The whole what have you done for me lately thing. TE depth will certainly be a team strength in 2014: Deaver, Reeves, Beilinson and Schneider. Will we see two TE sets? Or utilize a TE in the slot? Depth gives the staff options to work with.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Nothing to add other than I love seeing the input so far. I still wish our spring game had yet to be played, especially with basketball now officially behind us, but oh well.
What I am most looking forward to seeing is the guys that we picked up 2 years ago, that redshirted last year. It always most fun for me to watch new stars announce their arrival on the field.

[Bob Green]

On the O-line...yeah, could be a concern if Patrick continues to have the injury bug. Based on the last thing I heard, I thought Patrick's injury wasn't considered serious with no surgery planned. Even so, I think one of the key differences in the recent Duke teams vs. those of old is the quality of depth behind the starters. Aprahamian and Robinson were also in that class with Patrick and are very solid players. Not sure about Aprahamian, but I know I've seen Robinson in games so he's a baller. Austin Davis at 6-5 has looked good at Center per Coach and with the 6-5 300lb size, he could fill in at another guard spot if needed. I certainly don't want to have to go that route, but we have some quality depth on the O-line.

I agree we have quality depth but where we are thin is in the experience department. Our experience is limited to the top five: Tomlinson, Cofield, Patrick, Robinson and Skura. Aprahamian has played some but not a lot. He will need to step up this season along with guys such as Austin Davis, Tanner Stone, Sterling Korona and Casey Blaser who are talented but have not played.

In the random ramblings department: In 2013 some youngsters stepped up and contributed big time: Devon Edwards, Bryon Fields, Deondre Singleton, and Breon Borders. Can we get another boost from the youngsters in 2014? That's a big question that we will have to wait to see for an answer. Trevon Lee will play immediately at wide receiver according to most internet experts. How about Cerenord and Ferguson on the defensive line? As CB&B stated earlier, the freshmen who redshirted last season will be interesting to see. One of the important ones might be Mike Ramsay at DT. The offensive linemen listed above: Davis, Stone and Korona. Evrett Edwards at CB, Joseph Ajeigbe at RB, Quay Chambers at WR.

Who are the players who will step up and shine on special teams? This is a place youngsters can really make an impact.

Expectations: We need to get off to a fast start and go 4-0 out-of-conference. The road game at Troy could be a challenge. In ACC play, four of our first five games are on the road so we will need to survive this tough stretch and finish strong at home in the last three conference games. We have the ability to compete for the Coastal Division title again in 2014. How GREAT is that???

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

One of the changes on defense that I'm interested in seeing play out is moving Kyler Brown from LB to DE. He's built more like a DE. His experience and skills in playing LB could be great assets in his new position.

[Bob Green]

Do you remember Coach Cutcliffe talking about the importance of speed when he first arrived at Duke? Well check this out:

The men’s 4x100, comprised of redshirt freshman DeVon Edwards, freshman Ryan Smith and redshirt juniors Issac Blakeney and Josh Snead, kick-started the first-place finishes for the Blue Devils during the meet, capturing the victory in a time of 41.32. The relay, made up of four members of Duke’s football team, finished nearly a half second ahead of the second-place finishing relay. The relay’s time ranks second on Duke’s all-time list.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml? ... EM_ID=4200

[The Football Fan]

Now that's something to be excited about. Competition helps guys improve more than anything else. Take some fast guys and get them faster.

I thought about it some and Bob is right, have to admit the right side of our line is largely unproven. I think there's reason to be optimistic that they'll do fine and perhaps be an upgrade over what we've had....may take a year or two for that though. Still, it is something to keep an eye on over the fall and early into the season. I think we could see an improvement in the run game as much of the reviews I saw on these guys (ESPN...I think) talked about their run blocking being a positive, particularly with Tanner Stone. There's also the possibility that Sterling Korona, Blaser, or someone else shows up in a big way and beats Stone our for that Tackle spot. Time will tell.

[Bob Green]

Here is another football/track article:

https://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/ ... d-gridiron

[wolfpackdevil]

Braxton Deaver impressed me tons this past season and I definitely think he will be our best receiving option behind Crowder. That one catch and run he had against Virginia was one of the best plays I saw from our team last year. He made a great catch and then was able to outrun a few UVA DB's for 30 yards and into the end zone. I expect him to have a great year this year with Boone throwing to him.

As far as other random things go, I am very excited/interested to see how the team handles their two game stretch in October with games at Miami and GT. If we are going back to the ACC Championship, those are two games that probably need to be wins. If this team is healthy come October, (and hopefully 4-0), I think the Miami and GT games are going to be massive for our chances to win the division.

[Bob Green]

Excellent post!

Braxton Deaver impressed me tons this past season and I definitely think he will be our best receiving option behind Crowder.

Crowder is a legitimate deep threat and reportedly Trevon Lee has great speed so with the defense having to concern themselves with two deep threats it opens up a lot of room underneath for the TE and Slot Receiver. I agree Deaver is the player who will be a consistent threat to burn the opponent from the TE position now we need a SR to step up. Perhaps Blakeney will finally have that breakout season we have all been expecting since he arrived on campus. Diminutive Ryan Smith is another possibility.

As far as other random things go, I am very excited/interested to see how the team handles their two game stretch in October with games at Miami and GT. If we are going back to the ACC Championship, those are two games that probably need to be wins. If this team is healthy come October, (and hopefully 4-0), I think the Miami and GT games are going to be massive for our chances to win the division.

Four of our first five conference games are on the road. The middle of the season is going to be a tough grind.

[CameronBornAndBred]

OC Scottie Montgomery has perhaps given some insight into what we can expect with him calling the shots this season.

“When I came back to Duke, I think everyone thought that I would be really, really heavy on throwing the ball on every down,” said Montgomery. “But when you spend time in Pittsburgh you understand how important it is to run the ball and establish a running game. That was the best experience I could have had at that point in my career. I had just left a Duke program that was top ten in the nation in throwing the ball with Thad Lewis, but we weren’t winning games — we weren’t where we should be. At Pittsburgh it was what they called ground and pound, ground and pound — and then boom, a big pass play.”

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml? ... EM_ID=4200

The whole article is worth reading, it speaks of who he has learned from during his climb in the coaching ranks.

[Bob Green]

A couple of good tweets from Blue Devil Nation:

In good news, Cut said Lucas Patrick is in rehab and avoided surgery. Helps with the OL big time. He also said all pretty healthy.

Coach Cut just said developing a backup QB due to Connette's departure and developing them is a goal moving forward.

The news on Lucas Patrick is fantastic. His health is critical to the success of the offensive line!

[devildeac]

OC Scottie Montgomery has perhaps given some insight into what we can expect with him calling the shots this season.

“When I came back to Duke, I think everyone thought that I would be really, really heavy on throwing the ball on every down,” said Montgomery. “But when you spend time in Pittsburgh you understand how important it is to run the ball and establish a running game. That was the best experience I could have had at that point in my career. I had just left a Duke program that was top ten in the nation in throwing the ball with Thad Lewis, but we weren’t winning games — we weren’t where we should be. At Pittsburgh it was what they called ground and pound, ground and pound — and then boom, a big pass play.”

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml? ... EM_ID=4200

The whole article is worth reading, it speaks of who he has learned from during his climb in the coaching ranks.

Sounds like what Josh Snead said last year when it became obvious Cut and Roper were looking for a more balanced attack. After a particularly effective ground game one Saturday (can't remember which one ), a reporter asked Snead what he thought about the running game and he replied it was "call it and haul it."

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

As of today, it's 128 days until the first game. I'm in a countdown mode!

[CameronBornAndBred]

As of today, it's 128 days until the first game. I'm in a countdown mode!

[Bob Green]

I'm in a countdown mode!

Oh yeah, me too! I just don't want to count my summer away. Time for lots of sunshine, golf and hopefully a trip or two to the beach before kick-off.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I'm in a countdown mode!

Oh yeah, me too! I just don't want to count my summer away. Time for lots of sunshine, golf and hopefully a trip or two to the beach before kick-off.

Me, too! I intend to enjoy the warm weather of spring and summer, but will be very mindful of how many days until the first game.