Here are a few things I think you will see this upcoming year.
1)
Anae. First of all, I think a lot of the complaints about Anae are unwarranted. Uniformly there are football answers to all complaints I see, but I will save that discussion for another thread. But in 2008, you will see a more "open" BYU. Robert has been here long enough that he can comfortably run some plays within his system and style that we maybe haven't seen before. I know I've seen some plays in practice that have never made it to the game field.
2)
Collie. I'm a Collie homer, I admit. But think about what he accomplished this year coming off a mission and on a sprained ankle. Expect this guy to shave a tenth, or more, from his 40 time, expect him to polish off his already EXCELLENT route-running, and expect him to lean up a bit more. With all of this, and an entire off season building that connection with Max . . . Wow! I have it on pretty good authority that Collie expects that this coming year to be "Heismann-esque" (not that he will win it, but that at the end of the year, he will be able to fill a similarly-looking highlight reel).
3)
Max Hall. I expect Max to increase the velocity of his throws a little, and I expect to see him work all summer at moving through his progressions. I also expect that he's going to work on his foot speed.
4)
Jan Jorgensen. Favorite defender. Does anyone else need reminding that he's only a sophomore??? He will work on his technique, build a little more muscle mass, but work on his burst.
While I'm at it, I think Denney will be the other DE. Add his development in, and I think we will have an amazing DL, almost regardless of who we plug into the DT. Also look for Steve Fendry to make some noise.
5)
Harvey The Unga. So no one is going to mistake Harvey as a track star, but it would not be a stretch to accuse his freshman play as "junior." I think he's two years ahead of the curve. I expect that next year he will block better and catch better. I do think he'll try to get a little faster, too. I think his main concern, though, should be learning the offense and blocking. That's the main thing we miss without Curtis Brown. If Harvey learns this, I expect better protection for Max, and more swing passes to Harvey.
6)
The secondary. I love the guys we have this year. BUT. Expect to see much, much more speed in the secondary. I'm repdicting G Pittman as the next Morgan. Howard has already proven that he's quite capable--I have no worries about him. I think the CB position will be every bit as strong as it was this year, but a LOT quicker. Just think--If Coach Hill can compensate for lack of athleticism with our current DB's by teaching them the fundamentals, think what that teaching could mean to someone with more athletic ability. Crazy.
I don't expect to see Tafuna, and I'm not sure Fowler will keep his job. I think before the season started there were freshman that were competing for the starting job. I just think Bronco wanted to keep these guys in the wings if he could.
7)
JJ DiLuigi. He hasn't touched the turf yet, but I'm excited. We could write pages of why we didn't see the slot this year, but suffice it to say, JJ will bump out the competition. He will be cross trained at slot and RB, but will add a deminsion to this offense that will open things up again.
8) No loss on the
OL. Sete was great, but Sorenson will be NO drop off.
9)
LBers. We know Doman can play. So can Hooks and so can Bauman. I expect that Van Sweden and Nelson will also get some serious looks. Brian Kehl will be missed, but I think the collective speed at the LB position will be enhanced, with no toughness or mass lossed.
10)
Special teams. I've talked about this elsewhere, but I think Sorenson beats out Payne. I think some of it will depend on Sorenson's mission plans, which I understand are not solid (but I've heard otherwise from reliable sources--interestingly, I heard BOTH from reliable sources). As someone mentioned on another thread, I think Sorenson's field goal ability and the field position with added depth on kickoffs will earn us at least 3 points a game, if not more. I think it's safe to say he will get us an extra field goal, and give us field position for an extra touchdown per game.
Also, Austin Collie will be returning kicks. I expect that Bryce may not be returning punts, nor back with Austin returning kicks. G Pittman was looking like he may get that call. Also, if we land Chambers, he may have a shot.
And finally, I think deep-snapping duties go to either Denney or Fendry, likely Fendry.
11) Remember, for what it's worth,
Tonga and
Vakapuna will both be back.
12)
Bronco. I think what is also EXTREMELY important to remember is that Bronco will be a senior. His 6-6 campaign was his freshman effort. He was still learning, and baking a cake without all the ingredients.
2006 was his sophomore year. Both he and the team finally had identity. That helped make a great class of seniors that much better. But he still had a lot to learn.
In 2007, his junior year, he faced a monumental challange: take an infant offense and make them compete. It didn't help that his secondary had a hard time staying healthy (or waking up). But he did it. He was able to make the results of the previous year, even if he didn't produce as much results. But he learned a lot.
2008 is Bronco's senior year. He knows how he wants to do things. He knows what makes HIS recruits tick. He knows his staff. He knows strengths and weaknesses. And most importantly, his players believe his word as gospel.
If you've made it all the way to this line, then dock me some karma points.
Please add your own.
JL McGregor
Cleveland OH
