Ramblings and Predictions

[wolfpackdevil]

I would not bet even a dollar on Duke to go 12-0 this upcoming regular season, but articles like this are always fun to read over the offseason.

http://www.southernpigskin.com/acc/coul ... ar-season/

[Bob Green]

I would not bet even a dollar on Duke to go 12-0 this upcoming regular season, but articles like this are always fun to read over the offseason.

I agree that is a fun article to read. It is a bit over the top; however, it is a solid representation of the advances Duke football has achieved under Coach Cutcliffe.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

125 days

[Bob Green]

When he first arrived, Coach Cutcliffe stated recruiting would focus on speed:


That's Isaac Blakeney passing the baton to Devon Edwards in the 4 X 200 relay. Duke placed 3rd at the Penn Relays.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I remember the days of losing games simply because we could not outrun the other team. Nice to see those days fading into the past.

[devildeac]

[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.

From the Twittersphere:

Lucas Patrick: Feels good to be able to wear two shoes!!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

How refreshing and exciting! It's May 1 and we're talking about Duke football!

[devildeac]

How refreshing and exciting! It's May 1 and we're talking about Duke football!

And baseball season isn't completed yet ;) .

[CameronBornAndBred]

A quick look at cornerback Breon Borders.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/7 ... stars-duke

[Bob Green]

Nice link! Cornerback is a critical position so I'm a little concerned about life after Ross Cockrell. One of those celebrated youngsters has big shoes to fill this fall. Those young guys were awesome last season so we need them to be more awesome this season. I'm a worry wart.

[CameronBornAndBred]

"Breon Borders" is one of those names that I honestly don't remember hearing; but being that he was 5th in the ACC with INTs and not being a starter, I'm happy to know we do in fact have him on the team.

[wolfpackdevil]

It's pretty simple; Breon Borders is really good. He has a great combination of speed and ball skills and he had 2 interceptions of Jameis Winston in the title game last year. I think he is going to have an All-ACC season if he stays healthy. The combination of him with Jeremy Cash, Kelby Brown, and David Helton should make our defense pretty lethal in my mind.

One thing that gets kind of annoying is that all of the ACC analysts and reporters do not realize is that Garrett Patterson was not really a starter last year. He was a senior that Cut loved and would usually play the first possession of every game which makes him a "starter". But he would rarely play after that first possession unless there was an injury. It is more like we are losing one starter in Cockrell.

Another thing I am excited about is seeing Ross get drafter this weekend. I had not been keeping up with his progress very much but it seems like he is projected to be a 3-5 round draft pick. It seems like it has been forever since we had a guy drafted and I can't think of a better person than Ross to get that opportunity.

[Bob Green]

It's pretty simple; Breon Borders is really good. He has a great combination of speed and ball skills and he had 2 interceptions of Jameis Winston in the title game last year. I think he is going to have an All-ACC season if he stays healthy. The combination of him with Jeremy Cash, Kelby Brown, and David Helton should make our defense pretty lethal in my mind.

I agree with everything you are saying here; however, someone has to step up and fill Ross Cockrell's really big shoes. I'm not "worried" about the cornerback position but I am "concerned" a bit. Having Ross matched up against the opponents top receiver was a luxury which is unavailable in 2014. That's college ball, stars move on and youngsters step up.

Another thing I am excited about is seeing Ross get drafter this weekend. I had not been keeping up with his progress very much but it seems like he is projected to be a 3-5 round draft pick. It seems like it has been forever since we had a guy drafted and I can't think of a better person than Ross to get that opportunity.

Actually, Sean Renfree was drafted last season in the 7th round by the Atlanta Falcons who had three 7th round picks. Renfree was selected with the third of the three. Cockrell is going to go a lot higher than that. Like you say 3-5 most likely.

[Bob Green]

CBS Sports has Duke ranked at #24 in their Post-spring Top 25:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... ot-alabama

The only other ACC school ranked is FSU at #3.

[CameronBornAndBred]

CBS Sports has Duke ranked at #24 in their Post-spring Top 25:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... ot-alabama

The only other ACC school ranked is FSU at #3.

This is going to be fun (or not!) to see how Duke handles expectations of success for a change.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

115 days

[CameronBornAndBred]

Interesting set of stats on ESPN's football blog. Duke has some nice numbers coming back.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/7 ... -returners

TACKLES PER GAME
1. David Helton, Duke - 9.5 (1st)
2. Jeremy Cash, Duke - 8.6 (3rd)
3. Denzel Perryman, Miami - 8.3 (5th)
4. Kelby Brown, Duke - 8.1 (7th)
5. Ryan Janvion, Wake Forest - 7.9 (8th)


Clemson's Vic Beasley has 21 sacks in his career.
Of note: Duke’s front four took a big hit with the loss of three senior starters, but the back seven should be one of the most experienced and productive in the conference. Of the 25 ACC players with at least 50 solo tackles last season, 12 return this season.

[Bob Green]

ACC Wide Receiver Rankings:

http://www.southernpigskin.com/acc/acc-wr-rankings/

#1: Jamison Crowder: As a junior, Crowder set an ACC record with 108 receptions and is now coming off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He is very effective in the short-to-intermediate passing game and can also break free downfield. There isn't a better receiver in the country.

[CameronBornAndBred]

First early prediction has rolled in. At least Duke is not at the bottom.

1) Florida State
15) Clemson
19) North Carolina
26) Miami
35) Virginia Tech
41) Pitt
42) Duke
47) Georgia Tech
50) Louisville
55) Syracuse
61) Virginia
70) NC State
80) Boston College
97) Wake Forest

One interesting point is one that many of us at the ACC blog have seemed to drive home a lot lately: What's with the underselling of Duke? The Blue Devils are the reigning ACC Coastal Division champions and have all of the pieces in place to make another run, yet there they are behind four other division teams.

I predicted before the season ended that all the top 25 rankings and high hopes would be forgotten once again when the season rolls into place; I still think that is true. This seems to lend some backbone to that belief. I'm still most interested in the ACC preseason poll, my guess is they have us third or fourth in the Coastal, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we are placed higher. Of course, it's the end of the year that matters, but it would be nice to get some earned respect for once.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/7 ... ower-index