Top Need For 08 Success

[leftysrites]

My thinking is what we need most, to see an improvement next season, is good SEC caliber defensive linemen. A close second would be some real players on the offensive line. What do you think? Is there a larger priority for us to be in the race for the SEC Eastern title? Garcia will be a large part of any "O" improvement, I surely believe he will step up and be a real star.:football:

[Gamecockfanatic4]

Oline playong well for the whole season is the Biggest key imo

[Spurred]

O-line, D-line, and Special Teams. No improvement whatsoever in these since Spurrier has been here.

[leftysrites]

Spur, none, not even on the D-Line?

[Spurred]

no rush defense has been awful

[Dr. Cock]

I think our DL will eventually work itsself out with the young talent we got across the board (Robertson, Ajiboye, Geathers, Norwood, ect.). If they don't, then Lawing should be finished. No excuse not to produce with that kind of talent.

With that said, I really think our D will be in alright shape next year despite the collapse late this season. We have everyone returning but Casper, get Peppers, Jasper, and the Lindsey twins back (hopefully), and should have far more depth and experience all around.

With that said, I finally want to see a good OL. It has been questionable at best every single year Spurrier has been here. A good OL would give our new starting QB time to put the ball in McKinnley, Lecorn, and our TE's hands and also open up lanes for Davis and Maddox. It's been the key component that has been missing since Spurrier has been here. And I truly believe that if they ever do come around, our defense will benefit from it in return and it'll make us a far better team than the first three we have had under him.

[Cockholio]

Quarterback development.

[lucasd2002]

learning how to spell would be a nice start

[Gamecock_Aholic]

Outstanding O-line

[USCMM]

Ranked From Most Important to least important:

-A solid C on OL....and general improvement on OL all-around.
-A D-line that can atleast be average against the run.
-Better blocking on Special Teams...everywhere.
-A decent QB to fill or exceed what Blake did...and one that is a leader.
-Better Tackling
-Solid Hands on the ball (for D and O)
-Someone to solidify themself as the the #1 RB
-Find a #3 reciever
-Find someone to replace Andy Body (blocking)

I'm not as worried as others are about the QB job. Spurrier is great at this and we all know this. Whoever goes out to play will be solid if the OL holds.

Of course, I'm assuming that all of our "good" features of this season will carry over...which I think they will since most of the team is coming back.

[tanyhillcockfan]

Ranked From Most Important to least important:

-A solid C on OL....and general improvement on OL all-around.
-A D-line that can atleast be average against the run.
-Better blocking on Special Teams...everywhere.
-A decent QB to fill or exceed what Blake did...and one that is a leader.
-Better Tackling
-Solid Hands on the ball (for D and O)
-Someone to solidify themself as the the #1 RB
-Find a #3 reciever
-Find someone to replace Andy Body (blocking)

I'm not as worried as others are about the QB job. Spurrier is great at this and we all know this. Whoever goes out to play will be solid if the OL holds.

Of course, I'm assuming that all of our "good" features of this season will carry over...which I think they will since most of the team is coming back.

uhhhhhh thats a lot of improvements... if every team in the nation had this they would improve greatly

[donbgamecock]

I think our DL will eventually work itsself out with the young talent we got across the board (Robertson, Ajiboye, Geathers, Norwood, ect.). If they don't, then Lawing should be finished. No excuse not to produce with that kind of talent.

With that said, I really think our D will be in alright shape next year despite the collapse late this season. We have everyone returning but Casper, get Peppers, Jasper, and the Lindsey twins back (hopefully), and should have far more depth and experience all around.

With that said, I finally want to see a good OL. It has been questionable at best every single year Spurrier has been here. A good OL would give our new starting QB time to put the ball in McKinnley, Lecorn, and our TE's hands and also open up lanes for Davis and Maddox. It's been the key component that has been missing since Spurrier has been here. And I truly believe that if they ever do come around, our defense will benefit from it in return and it'll make us a far better team than the first three we have had under him.

I agree with your assessment of the D line. You could solidify your position by including the terminator (K Ellis). Also, O lines take longer to become solid and they need time to play as a cohesive unit instead of one guy here this week and a different one next week. We should see quite an improvement in the O line next year. We lacked depth and should see some relief next year.

go Cocks!

[donbgamecock]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned better play from our LBs. They are also young and I am expecting to see better play as a group next year. That is especially true with Jasper and the Linseys returning. But thinking ahead, we need to continue to grab some top level LBs.

Go Cocks!

[scfan2001]

strong offensive line and rush defense.

[CockRoche]

Team chemistry.

[MEGA]

learning how to spell would be a nice start


I think manners are one of your weak points !!

[MEGA]

A Quarterback that shows LEADERSHIP !!!!!!!!

[tgobbel]

A Quarterback that shows LEADERSHIP !!!!!!!!

You got that right MEGA....!!!!! I think Garcia is going to be 'THAT' QB for us...he seem to have that 'it' factor...we just didin't get that from Smelly or Mitchell this year..

[cockyguitarist]

Ya I definitely have to go with Quarterback leadership because I dont think people realize how much Blake brought into the position as much as his knowledge of the offense as well as overall confidence (despite whatever you wanna say about how he played). It is something we will definitely need and you could tell Smelley definitely did not have that to the full degree (not player bashing whatsoever, and I definitely think he will be much improved next year and I think we all are all waiting to see what Garcia can do). However I think if our teams wants to do anything, WE MUST IMPROVE THE O-LINE'S PLAY! If they continue to play crappy, then we will only have a mediocre team and winning schedule. Without them, the offense does nothing and the defense will fall like they did this year. Thats number one, I would like to see big time improvement on special teams. Down the stretch they fell off the radar big time as well, so we must definitely improve blocking BIG TIME! Will be interesting to see what happens next year as well with all these young 'uns improving and stepping up just as much next year, let alone whoever this year's recruiting class turns out to be.

[MEGA]

You got that right MEGA....!!!!! I think Garcia is going to be 'THAT' QB for us...he seem to have that 'it' factor...we just didin't get that from Smelly or Mitchell this year..

Thanks !! I was ready to work with Smelley he is new and still learning, and he did well most of the games he played, however, Blake was a 5th year senior and he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO DO !! Blake was not a leader , when I would see Smelley in the game , and see Blake on the sidelines just laughing and having a big ole time, that really ticked me off even more, he didn't want to be our QB , if so, he would have tried to beat Smelley out of his place , but instead he just kicked back and waited his turn ............I don't care for that whatsoever !!
I too, look forward to Garcia, I have since he stepped foot on our campus, I really look for great things out of him !!

[Goofyboy]

All we needed to be 10-2 this year was quality, consistent play from the quarterbacks. Better special teams play would have made a big difference, also. The players we have on the DL, are up to par with anyone, they just need better schemes and better overall technique. The front 7 simply did not handle misdirection.

[2000grad]

O-line, D-line, and Special Teams. No improvement whatsoever in these since Spurrier has been here.

Spurrier now coach the guys he's been recruiting. Should be fun in 08

[2000grad]

Thanks !! I was ready to work with Smelley he is new and still learning, and he did well most of the games he played, however, Blake was a 5th year senior and he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO DO !!
I got some sick and tired of hearing how he was this quiet leader. Who has ever heard of a quiet leader??? Even Jesus turned over tables! Quiet leader to me means not much of a leader at all. Have to be a leader on and off the field to gain the full respect!

BTW mods, I am not bashing Blake. I am merely voicing what I didn't like about what was said about him. Please...be gentle

[Will4144]

QB play will be fine. We'll have a 22-year-old sophomore with experience and a young gun with plenty of cockiness.

The way the OL finished out, they should be at least decent to start and very good by the end of the year.

Defensive line is where we'll need improvement. Kenrick Ellis, Ladi Ajiboye, and Marque Hall will need to plug the middle.

Linebackers will be fine with Rodney Paulk and Jasper Brinkley returning and Cliff Matthews having a year of experience under his belt.

Special teams is the main thing I'm worried about. We should be a better blocking team and even better returning, but will Ryan Doerr be a capable punter? If not, will Ryan Succop improve his punting without losing any field goal or leg strength?

[Will4144]

Thanks !! I was ready to work with Smelley he is new and still learning, and he did well most of the games he played, however, Blake was a 5th year senior and he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO DO !! Blake was not a leader , when I would see Smelley in the game , and see Blake on the sidelines just laughing and having a big ole time, that really ticked me off even more, he didn't want to be our QB , if so, he would have tried to beat Smelley out of his place , but instead he just kicked back and waited his turn ............I don't care for that whatsoever !!
I too, look forward to Garcia, I have since he stepped foot on our campus, I really look for great things out of him !!

I usually agree with your sentiments, but not this time. What else should have Blake done on the sidelines? Every time I watched a game, he was the only player that was ALWAYS right with Spurrier. Stephen Garcia and Tommy Beecher would join that group every now and again, but Mitchell was always there.

[Blake]

we will never be a top ten team until we can control the line of scrimage. This is what all the big time programs are able to do.

[tgobbel]

We must be fluid on Offense and Aggressive on Defense...too many times we seem to 'fight it' on offense, and our plays never seem to get ran correctly...If we could have 'mirrored' our play against UK and keep that kind of 'hunger' on D we will have something good here..but if we continually shoot our selves in the foot and play D on our heals...we will win some.............and we will lose some........!~

[tgobbel]

All we needed to be 10-2 this year was quality, consistent play from the quarterbacks. Better special teams play would have made a big difference, also. The players we have on the DL, are up to par with anyone, they just need better schemes and better overall technique. The front 7 simply did not handle misdirection.


We can't have quality consistant play from a QB when he can't get a rythm going with a O line that can't give him time to make his reads...so having the O line hit the ground running from the 1st game is Key to setting the tone against the SEC...also...getting your punts off without fear of having them blocked everytime is a plus too...

[MEGA]

I usually agree with your sentiments, but not this time. What else should have Blake done on the sidelines? Every time I watched a game, he was the only player that was ALWAYS right with Spurrier. Stephen Garcia and Tommy Beecher would join that group every now and again, but Mitchell was always there.

If he was a leader he would have been our QB all year , no questions asked , he would have stayed out of trouble and went to class and fought for his QB position, SOS would say , "we might throw Blake out there and see what he can do" that would get in Smelleys mind and he knew he was only one mistake away from being taken out of the game, which made it harder for him to play well, this is just my opinion, it doesn't make it right or wrong !

[GamecockLawyer]

I would like to see an O-line that gets set early in the season. I hate the "revolving door" offensive line we've seemed to have the last few years. Let's get the good players in their early and have them "gel" so the QB will have more than a nano-second to deliver the football.

[gearhead302]

I can't argue with blakes ability cause he played well just a shame we could'nt win a game. I say leadership all around!!!!! offense defense and special teams, we need to play with some heart like we did at the begining of the season!!!!

[Cocky2001]

I usually agree with your sentiments, but not this time. What else should have Blake done on the sidelines? Every time I watched a game, he was the only player that was ALWAYS right with Spurrier. Stephen Garcia and Tommy Beecher would join that group every now and again, but Mitchell was always there.

1) Not been suspended for the first weekend of practices...

2) Not been suspended for the first game...

3) Been able to catch a snap in Baton Rouge...

4) Never, and I do mean, NEVER!!! have said that he was just waitin' on someone else to screw up so that he could get another chance. (And in case you are wondering...he should have replied, "I am working my ass off in practice in the hopes that Spurrier will have no other choice than to give me another chance on the field!")

5) He wasn't always around Spurrier during games either. I have a tape of the Mississippi State game, they show Spurrier numerous times, not once during the entire broadcast do you see Mitchell...I was at the game, the people in our group tried to find him on the sidelines with no success. (granted.....I am not one of the 150 consecutive year century level donors that get to sit right behind the team between the 35's within the first ten rows, so it is possible that he was dressed out and we just couldn't see him from my seats...) I don't recall seeing him that close to Spurrier during either the Kentucky or unc-ch games either.

[snoopcockycock]

i am not worried about the qb position. smelley looked very good out there for a redshirt freshman. of course he made mistakes, all freshmen do. but he looked very good when he was able to execute (ol). garcia is dying to get his chance, so i think he will kill himself this off-season, to learn the offense better, and work with the wr's.
i'm not going to take any more excuses for the ol this next season. and hopefully i won't need to, as they should be very much improved. there is plenty of experienced talent returning, and many redshirts who will be ready to contribute.
likewise, i feel the same about the dl. i think having adjiboye and ellis at dt, with hall and two or three others to back them up, will greatly sure up our run defense. now that adjiboye and ellis have some real game experience, and against some of the best in the nation, they will be much improved next season. then having jasper back, along with a much more experienced lb corps, including ingram, around him, we should be able to play the run much better next year. not to mention the incredible depth and talent we will have in our secondary next season.
in my opinion, our top need for success next season, is a chemistry amoung the entire team, that gives them a belief and will to want to win at all cost's! give me that, and i'll show you a nine or ten win season. uga and uf will be very good next year, but the rest of the sec teams that we will face, will not see much improvement.

[Will4144]

1) Not been suspended for the first weekend of practices...

2) Not been suspended for the first game...

3) Been able to catch a snap in Baton Rouge...

4) Never, and I do mean, NEVER!!! have said that he was just waitin' on someone else to screw up so that he could get another chance. (And in case you are wondering...he should have replied, "I am working my ass off in practice in the hopes that Spurrier will have no other choice than to give me another chance on the field!")

5) He wasn't always around Spurrier during games either. I have a tape of the Mississippi State game, they show Spurrier numerous times, not once during the entire broadcast do you see Mitchell...I was at the game, the people in our group tried to find him on the sidelines with no success. (granted.....I am not one of the 150 consecutive year century level donors that get to sit right behind the team between the 35's within the first ten rows, so it is possible that he was dressed out and we just couldn't see him from my seats...) I don't recall seeing him that close to Spurrier during either the Kentucky or unc-ch games either.

A lot of that is true. Maybe Blake doesn't have the best social skills? ;) I was at the Kentucky game and I noticed that Mitchell was with Spurrier almost the entire game. I didn't get to see the Mississippi State game, but he may have been upset about losing his job... childish behavior, I agree.

Did anyone else notice that Blake Mitchell is less than 2 years older than Chris Smelley?

[hellraiser24]

Ranked From Most Important to least important:

-A solid C on OL....and general improvement on OL all-around.
-A D-line that can atleast be average against the run.
-Better blocking on Special Teams...everywhere.
-A decent QB to fill or exceed what Blake did...and one that is a leader.
-Better Tackling
-Solid Hands on the ball (for D and O)
-Someone to solidify themself as the the #1 RB
-Find a #3 reciever
-Find someone to replace Andy Body (blocking)

I'm not as worried as others are about the QB job. Spurrier is great at this and we all know this. Whoever goes out to play will be solid if the OL holds.

Of course, I'm assuming that all of our "good" features of this season will carry over...which I think they will since most of the team is coming back.

could not have said it better myself

[USCMM]

uhhhhhh thats a lot of improvements... if every team in the nation had this they would improve greatly

I wasn't saying we were gonna fufill them all, but I was saying that we need the most improvement in my top points, but also put in some extras that could be of concern next year.

[hayesnumber76]

the only thing we need to have success next season is for our boys to have PASSION to play the game of football! if the team plays with passion, reguardless of the outcome of the wins or losses, the season will be a sucessful one.

[cockpit7]

We have to continue to have top 10-15 classes year after year. The trenches is where the games are won or lost. We have to have guys with heart & attitude and as the last poster said play with passion. the next 2 years are critical to our future sucess, lets hope we can get it done. :kill: :woo:

[ShutTheSuccop]

We need a cohesive OL on day one, not week 10.

[MEGA]

We need a cohesive OL on day one, not week 10.



:thumbsup: :clap:

[uscnoklahoma]

More than 2 or 3 down lineman and this ^

[TheGuitarCock]

huh?

[uscnoklahoma]

Your post bumped me to the 3rd page....it was the cohesive lineman quote.

[TheGuitarCock]

:-o

[usc91ece]

6-6 Teams do not have a "Top Need". They have several equally important "Top Needs".

10-2 teams have a top need.

[cocky2007]

More experience and better play from the front 7 on defense.

Better blocking from the O-Line.

[swampthing]

Heart and the Burning Desire to win at all costs

[TheMule]

1. A very good offensive line. This is the backbone of all good teams. Holes for the running backs & passing lanes for the QB. It's hard to throw accurately when you have a 300 lb beast trying to rip your arm out of it's socket. Keeps the McFadden & Tebow type players sitting on the bench instead of running up and down the field. Also keeps the defense rested so there's no excuse that our defense is worn down at the end of the game. I want to see Carolina's 3-4 yard runs in the first quarter turn into 8-9 yard runs & longer in the 4th quarter because the opposing defense is worn out.

2. A QB who is a leader both on and off the field and who will do anything to win. Will inspire the other players to work harder and play better and stay after practice for extra reps. Will take care of the ball and not throw careless passes. Will have the confidence of Spurrier so that he won't think twice about throwing on 3rd & 4 late in the game.

3. Stop the run!!!

4. A burning desire to win and will give 100% every play. The guys on the bench not being satifsied to be backups and busting their tails to get on the field and contribute.

[kick_ball]

-A new coach
-Bigger, louder band
-Everyone to wear the same color on gamedays
-A uni combo that we win in
-fire the AD
and
-a player that finds out that he is really a wizard so that he can cast spells on the other team

(disclaimer - all of the above things should be taken sarcastically and with a good sense of humor...with expection of the last one about a player being a wizard because that might actually help)

[KadCock]

Passion for winning at all positions including coaching staff!

[COCKROCK]

Passion for winning at all positions including coaching staff!

I like it....

[uscnoklahoma]

Passion for winning at all positions including coaching staff!

I think we have the Passion we just don't have the go for broke attitude...see the 3 running plays against Clemson...and our 3 down lineman against UA when we should have just sold out to stop the run. Risks can pay off....see LSU this year.

[USCMM]

-A new coach
-Bigger, louder band
-Everyone to wear the same color on gamedays
-A uni combo that we win in
-fire the AD
and
-a player that finds out that he is really a wizard so that he can cast spells on the other team

(disclaimer - all of the above things should be taken sarcastically and with a good sense of humor...with expection of the last one about a player being a wizard because that might actually help)

:rotfl: Let's get harry potter to be the QB...The ball is heading staight for the CB, makes a 90 degree turn and lands right in the WRs arms. Must've been a strong wind...

[FLGamecock71]

There are three things we need for next season to be better than this season:
1. Interior linemen
2. Interior linemen
3. Interior linemen

Some good competition at QB will be nice too.

[CarolinaDawg]

What Carolina needs is quality depth. Your starters are as good as any in the SEC, but when a 1st stringer gets hurt, or needs to be rested in the game, the quality of play really drops. That was the problem this year. As your starters went down to injury, the 2nd and 3rd stringers were not able to play even close to the level of the starters.

I know I'll most likely be dismissed becuase I'm a Dawg fan...but that is what i see as Carolina's weakness, the lack of quality depth.

[roosterrizk1]

I know I'll most likely be dismissed becuase I'm a Dawg fan...but that is what i see as Carolina's weakness, the lack of quality depth.__________________

No Dawg Fan, you actually REALLY understand it. For some reason our Fan base has yet to understand that injuries were the real factor in our collapse. They just don't get the fact that our backups were really - just not that good. I am glad to see that our opponents at least understand the real issue here, which is quality depth. Spurrier in time will have that but as seen this year its just not there. I also still believe getting in Spurrier type players and getting out the free lancers recruited By Lou will be the best thing for our program. I am not saying that Lou recruited only bad character players, but several players on this Team do not buy into what Spurrier is doing, that being commitment to the Program. I sure wish they would make 5 points off limits to the Football Team....

[FeartheSpur]

Garcia TO STEP UP BIG TIME !!!!