The unit that I'm most concerned about after the OL is ST.
Of course, you never know. The WRs may disappoint, or some other unit. But I'm excited about all units and, let's say, hopeful about the OL. But NU's ST unit is really a misnomer. It's the Not So Special Teams. ( Venric Mark a B1G exception. ) Not sure why, but I think the return game could be OK even without Solomon Vault. And we have enough good athletes that coverage teams should also be OK. But the kicking game? Well, with the new kickoff specialist, we should be able to have a fait number of touchbacks on kickoffs, but that is where my confidence ends. The starting punter booms out 32 yard kicks. In fairness, he did get away a good kick in the Pinstripe Bowl at a crucial juncture. So hopefully, he will start booming punts like he did on his recruiting demo tape. And our place kickers have, by and large, been sub par for a decade ( Jeff Budzien being the notable exception here ). Outback bowl FG attempts, TCU extra point, etc. Our last place kicker was a baseball player who stopped playing baseball to concentrate on his kicking game and did not improve. Why did Fitz choose to go for it on a couple of 4th downs at the Pinstripe Bowl? This year's guy was well ranked nationally, so maybe he'll be another Jeff Budzien. Let's see.
If the OL does not improve, don't bring in the 10th coach to help the OL coach. Just bring in a good OL coach. If the kicking game continues to struggle, could NU bring in a good ST coach with a specialty in the kicking game? Does this sort of person exist?
Of course, you never know. The WRs may disappoint, or some other unit. But I'm excited about all units and, let's say, hopeful about the OL. But NU's ST unit is really a misnomer. It's the Not So Special Teams. ( Venric Mark a B1G exception. ) Not sure why, but I think the return game could be OK even without Solomon Vault. And we have enough good athletes that coverage teams should also be OK. But the kicking game? Well, with the new kickoff specialist, we should be able to have a fait number of touchbacks on kickoffs, but that is where my confidence ends. The starting punter booms out 32 yard kicks. In fairness, he did get away a good kick in the Pinstripe Bowl at a crucial juncture. So hopefully, he will start booming punts like he did on his recruiting demo tape. And our place kickers have, by and large, been sub par for a decade ( Jeff Budzien being the notable exception here ). Outback bowl FG attempts, TCU extra point, etc. Our last place kicker was a baseball player who stopped playing baseball to concentrate on his kicking game and did not improve. Why did Fitz choose to go for it on a couple of 4th downs at the Pinstripe Bowl? This year's guy was well ranked nationally, so maybe he'll be another Jeff Budzien. Let's see.
If the OL does not improve, don't bring in the 10th coach to help the OL coach. Just bring in a good OL coach. If the kicking game continues to struggle, could NU bring in a good ST coach with a specialty in the kicking game? Does this sort of person exist?
