Is it too early..

I am most worried about the receiving corps. I still wake up in the night and have visions of Burroughs dropping that 3rd down pass against Nevada that was right on the numbers that was the beginning of the end. To be fair, Titus had just dropped an over-the-shoulder bomb that he typically reels in on 2nd down, but still. Drops have been an achilles heel all season, and our future receivers are unproven. I think Kirby will be a fantastic slot receiver, I really hope Miller recovers from that injury, it seems like he has the potential to become Pettis 2.0 (big kid, great athlete, knows how to use his body), and if Hiwat is just a little more polished in his route-running and learns to use his size better he could be very special in the years to come. Shoe is dependable, but it seems to me that he doesn’t have what it takes to be elite, but I could be completely wrong about that. Haven’t really seen Burks enough to know what his ceiling is, but it’s a little disconcerting that neither he nor Hiwat have really come alive this year while the second team has been on the field (although the run-heavy second half playcalling may have a lot to do with that). Kellen has the ability to make just about anybody look good though, I’m more worried about replacing Kelling in 2012, but maybe that’s still premature.

I am not as worried about replacing JJ and Venable. I think, like you said, Ioane steps in for JJ and he’ll do just fine. It also seems to me like we picked up Dextrell Simmons from Blinn JuCo (the same JuCo that Cam Newton went to) as a replacement for Venable. He is a 6’0", 210 lb. game-ready vocal leader with a great motor and national championship experience who runs a 4.55 40 yard dash. Seems to me he was born for the Bronco Nickel position. He played Outside Linebacker for Blinn. As long as he is good enough in coverage he would be a great fit. I think safety won’t have a big step down next season.

I’m honestly a little more worried about replacing Austin and Titus than JJ and Venable… I know the young receivers have a lot of potential, but it hasn’t translated into games yet. I love Hiwat – his combination of size and speed is SCARY, but he’s dropped some really good throws from Kellen that the other two would’ve had easily. Burks hasn’t showed up since the Wyoming game, I think. I really like Matt Miller’s potential, too, but we’ll see if he can fully recover.

If all turns out well, I’d like to see Hiwat, Miller, Shoemaker and Kirby getting most of the throws next year, with Burks, Potter and whoever else backing them up. Size advantage is going to be big going forward, and those are some pretty big dudes.

On the defensive side, it sure looks like Ioane will take over for JJ, and I think he’ll b e good – really good. And it looks like Dextrell Simmons is the new Venable. If he doesn’t work out, Jonathan Brown seems like a good pick. Not much to worry about here… It doesn’t look like a huge drop in talent level (if there even is a drop). The defense is very much plug-and-play… plug in new guys and keep on going.

Didn’t we lose 3 senior receivers after the Fiesta Bowl win vs. Oklahoma? Talent didn’t drop off much (actually, it may have improved) at that position the following two years – the QB play was the biggest difference the following season. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll have to go through Tharp 2.0.

Petersen has shown the ability to get the players that fit his system. While I understand the concern with whether the new receivers can hack it, I think it should also be mentioned that the reason Burks, Hiwat, etc. don’t get more clock is because they’re stuck behind Pettis, Young, and Shoemaker. That’s a pretty formidable group to be stuck behind.

As usual, however, I expect Petersen and staff to have the team ready to roll starting in the ATL next year. Georgia’s defense this year was nothing special, and if our defense can even slow down their offense, I think we find a way to squeak a W out of that first game. We won’t have to worry about much in the way of poor sportsmanship from them (as opposed to Utah) – Richt is as classy as they come.

Hey – at least we don’t have to worry about our players trading autographs for…ahem…benefits…and getting suspended for it.

(says the guy who wrote this two weeks ago)

As far as incoming true freshmen, I think that K Matt Goudis could have an impact.

can we talk about this on mnday?

The good news is we are not worried abour our D-line, I sure hope Mike A is back he was looking real good. Hout wil stuff the run again. Over all D is looking real good. I think with Kellen working all spring and summer with the likes of Miller, Burks, Hiwat and his brother. The timeing will get much better and the drops will go away. It helps to have a coach on the field. Kellen will have them ready.