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Virginia fans make sure to check out more from the roundtable panelists! Michael Phillips’ UVa work for The Richmond Times-Dispatch can be found on the RTD web site or his Twitter feed. You can hear Frank Maloney on Sports Radio 910 AM in Richmond during the season or in the Hoos Talking archives. Of course, Kris Wright’s articles are on the Sabre EDGE – subscribe today! |
Virginia wraps up spring practice this week, but the public and the media got their last look at the Hoos during the Spring Game last weekend. With the quarterback battle still going, linebackers to replace, and more storylines, there’s plenty to discuss. That’s a perfect time for a Sabre Roundtable so Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Frank Maloney of Hoos Talking radio, EDGE subscriber HoosQ, and TheSabre.com Editor Kris Wright answer 5 questions about the Wahoos.
Another set of practices have come and gone, but UVa exits the spring without naming its starting quarterback again. Do the Hoos need to settle on a No. 1 quarterback to get the building process on track both short term and long term or can the platooning system of the past 2 years work? What’s your prediction for if/when a starter is named?
Kris: I think the Hoos need to pick someone to lead the offense as the No. 1 quarterback. I’m not as big of an opponent of two-quarterback systems as some, but I do think you need to have an established program and an established offensive system to make it work. Virginia has neither. In order for the offense and program to firmly take root under coach Mike London, I think UVa needs to pick a quarterback for 2013 and stick with it. My guess is that the coaches are thinking the same thing so I expect a starter to be picked – not named publicly mind you – around the fall’s first live scrimmage. I don’t think we’ll know who that choice is until it is BYU week, though.
Frank: Clearly the QB decision is distracting the focus and development of the UVa Offense. Selecting the No. 1 QB must be resolved for UVa to move forward. The new offensive coordinator and Coach London must select a starter soon. Summer camp is a time when the offense must come together – see the challenging September schedule with opener vs. BYU followed by Oregon. Although Phillip Sims has been listed third on the chart, I think the coaches are trying to light a fire under him. He has more experience than David Watford and Greyson Lambert so it really is his job to lose. Fully expect the next depth chart will list Sims first with Watford and Lambert battling for No. 2 when summer camp begins. My guess is that the STARTER will be declared as practice gets underway In August. PLEASE, no more platooning of QBs in 2013! It has always been a bad idea. Ruined the team last season! However, I expect to see back-ups on the field late in games performing mop-up duty.
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Michael: Nobody likes the platooning system, and that’s because it doesn’t work. Mike London doesn’t need to pick a quarterback right now, but he needs one in place by the first week of training camp. With BYU and Oregon on tap in the first two weeks, there will be an extra urgency to use camp for game planning, not quarterback evaluation.
David Watford was done a big disservice by the Spring Game format. I think he’s slightly better than Greyson Lambert right now, but Lambert has the better long-term upside. If I was London, I’d give the keys to Lambert and hope the freshman lumps he’ll take turn into a great four-year career.
HoosQ: I do not believe the platooning system can continue to work. That said, I don’t want a starting QB named immediately either. I don’t pretend to have enough information to go on based on one practice and a Spring Game. However, I certainly do not see enough separation between the 3 candidates. Therefore, I would let it play out for the first couple of weeks of the summer and then name a starter early enough in the summer to give that quarterback the preponderance of the snaps.
Quarterback race aside, the offensive line may be the biggest story coming out of the spring. After battling inconsistency in 2012 and struggling in the Spring Game, is this unit the make or break unit for this year’s team? What’s the biggest area of concern on the line right now?
Kris: When you look at the offense, the other positions seem to be in good shape either in terms of talent or depth or both. The offensive line, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to put it together over the past 12 months. That can be attributed in large part to a lack of experienced upper classmen due to recruiting from 2008 through 2011. In those years, the Cavaliers didn’t sign enough OL prospects – 2008 (4, but 3 didn’t pan out), 2009 (6, but 2 moved back a class through prep school so 4 and 3 of those 4 have played big roles), 2010 (4, but 1 moved to defense; the other 3 have played big roles), and 2011 (4, but 2 are not on the team currently). The trickle down affect of attrition, competition, and the like is still notable on the line today.
That’s a detailed way of saying that this unit is the biggest concern – particularly the guard spots – for 2013. If starting center Luke Bowanko can play well in the middle to help things gel, then the O-Line could grind its way to a better-than-expected year. With the brutal schedule on tap, that’s something that has to happen if bowl eligibility is to going to become a possibility.
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Morgan Moses |
Frank: The most significant issue facing the Virginia football team is whether the O-Line will develop into a first rate, reliable unit. Last year’s 4-8 record was primarily due to inconsistent line play. There were too many missed assignments in the run game and too many penalties last year. The return of coach Tom O’Brien will have a big impact on this unit. UVa has excellent skill players, but the QBs for instance, need time to find receivers such as Tim Smith and Darius Jennings . And top notch runners like Kevin Parks and Clifton Richardson need holes. I have been surprised by the attrition and all the shifting around up front. Stability and consistency are the keys this season. The line needs to get healthy and come together in summer camp. The schedule provides many challenges. Prediction: The O-Line will steadily improve as the season moves along. I expect Morgan Moses to lead the way!
Michael: The line as a whole was beaten, but there’s particular concern for Morgan Moses, who needs a strong season to play his way up NFL Draft boards. I’ve yet to see a true “success story” player under coach Scott Wachenheim. The talent was there last year, but the results weren’t. That’s particularly scary when you consider this year’s group has slightly less size and physical ability across the board.
HoosQ: As many on the board may know, my favorite play is three yards and a pile of dust! Therefore, I ALWAYS think the offensive line is the make or break unit. If you can run the ball, then you can dominate the game, because you will turn the ball over less and your defense will remain fresh. My biggest concern for this year’s line is quality depth. I think the top six can (and will) be good enough – especially with some help from Tom O’Brien. However, more than one or two injuries could be catastrophic in my opinion.
The defense stole the show in the Spring Game with 14 touch-the-quarterback sacks. Putting the offensive line’s issues aside, do you think the defensive line – depth challenges and all – is on the right track for the 2013 season?
Kris: Absolutely. There is a lot of talent and potential on the defensive line with returning players like Brent Urban and Eli Harold as well as with some names like David Dean e and Mike Moore that haven’t seen as many snaps yet. That doesn’t even include any incoming freshmen. With the new aggressive attitude being brought to the defense as well as some scheme changes with blitzes and line stunts, I think the defensive line could be a terror to deal with in the coming years. The Hoos will need to catch some luck with injuries, however, because there’s not a lot of experienced depth out there yet.
Frank: The Virginia defense looked stronger, faster, and more aggressive than last spring. Ends and blitzing LBs made life difficult for the offense. Eli Harold , Trent Corney , and Brent Urban earned many sacks last Saturday. Interior line depth is a concern but Justin Renfrow and David Dean should be ready to help Urban versus the run. Looking forward, maybe the defenders know that they will need to be ready for the strong opponents coming to Scott Stadium this fall.
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Michael: The question hints at the answer – they’ve got to stay healthy. The emergence of David Dean has been huge for the unit, and I think we’re all expecting big things from Mike Moore, though with a limited sample size to go off of so far. Depth is a big issue across the board on defense, but if Jon Tenuta can catch a few breaks along the way, this will be one of the ACC’s best defenses statistically.
HoosQ: I really liked what I saw from the defensive line during the Spring Game. Urban, Moore and Dean looked really good to me. It is hard for me to believe that Corney won’t be good once he gets the experience. Renfrow is a known commodity that is more than adequate. Eli Harold was going against Morgan Moses, so I am going to assume that is good news for Moses and not look down on Eli’s performance. If the two incoming tackles can contribute, UVa could have a very nice rotation going and London’s attention to the unit should only speed improvement.
The two leading tacklers in 2012 were linebackers Steve Greer and LaRoy Reynolds, both now gone from the lineup. From what you saw of the linebackers this spring, will that unit be able to provide the needed production in 2013?
Kris: I think so. Greer and Reynolds accounted for nearly 25% of the team’s total tackles last season even with Reynolds missing two games with an injury. With that said, Daquan Romero finished seventh on the team with 44 tackles and Henry Coley was ninth with 40 despite playing in just 8 games. Both of those players will be in the rotation this season. D.J. Hill and Demeitre Brim showed promise in limited duty. Some of the youngsters like Mark Hall looked good in the Spring Game. I don’t think we’ll see two players approach that 25% of total tackles number, but I think as a whole this unit will be able to get the job done while using more players on the depth chart than before.
Frank: At this point, linebacker play could be biggest surprise. Henry Coley , Dada Romero, Demeitre Brim , Kwontie Moore , and the other backers have the speed and ability to make up for the loss of stalwarts Greer and Reynolds. The question is: How quickly will the LBs learn Jon Tenuta’s system? The linebackers must come together in summer camp for the run defense and sack totals to be much improved in 2013.
Michael: The big concern with the linebackers won’t be production – the system puts a premium on a blitzing line and shutdown corners – but rather the mental side of the game. In Tenuta’s system, the linebackers are responsible for adjusting to formations and substitutions by the offense. BYU runs unique sets with multiple tight ends, and Oregon is unique in its own ways, so this is a position where the “mental reps” will be every bit as important as the physical ones. Steve Greer is going to be missed in this area – he was truly an extra coach on the field. I’m waiting to see which of the current group will step into that role.
HoosQ: I am pleasantly surprised. I knew Brim was a great athlete but he really looked the part of a linebacker. Romero has always seemed able to perform and is only getting better. The kid that surprised me was Mark Hall ! He had a heck of a Spring Game from what I saw. My biggest concern is still the middle linebackers covering the drag pattern out of the backfield over the middle of the field. Henry Coley and Kwontie Moore both seem to lose the back and can’t catch up to them in time to prevent significant yardage.
No one got a real good look this spring at the special teams reboot expected with new coordinator Larry Lewis, but just for fun who do you think the starting returners (kick and punt return) will be and why?
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Kris: I mentioned it in my article earlier this week, but Khalek Shepherd took 65 of the team’s 78 total returns (punt and kickoff) last season so I expect him to be involved again this year due to that experience. With that said, I think some others will get chances for three reasons. One, there are a lot of talented skill position players coming off redshirt years this season. Two, the depth at running back is important with Kevin Parks and Clifton Richardson both having injury issues at times in the past. Three, there is available depth among the receivers and defensive backs so the injury risk there as a returner is less of a concern. Check out this list: C.J. Moore , Divante Walker , Kelvin Rainey , Wilfred Wahee, Kye Morgan , and Jamall Brown all redshirted last season and Anthony Cooper is a sophomore that played limited snaps. Many of those guys returned kicks in high school.
Frank: I am expecting big things from Khalek Shepherd and Taquan Mizzell as the featured backs in the return game. Perhaps Adrian Gamble and Kye Morgan will help return kickoffs. One thing is certain Dominique Terrell will not be returning punts next season. Terrell could be very dangerous as a receiver if he learns to catch the ball cleanly! Prediction: Special teams will be vastly improved under new coach Larry Lewis. Expect better discipline and improved techniques.
Michael: By week four, I think Taquan Mizzell is doing both, with Khalek Shepherd as the second kick returner. No point in having your playmakers watch from the sideline.
HoosQ: This is easy. Our special teams’ returners will be my new favorite play. I’m coining it: “40 yards back and a trail of SMOKE!!”
