Things Not "Breaking" Our Way For 2011

[DRU2012]

About the only clear point emerging from the closed Spring football practices is that injuries have hit us hard where we were already hurting, depth-wise--on both lines.
Thing is, let's face it: we needed a lot of factors to go RIGHT this year in order to have 2011 be a little more than a "transitional season"--not just "a prelude to 2012", but to challenge perhaps for an SEC Championship, at the least.
To say that we've "gotten off on the wrong foot" is a bit more than another bad pun. Along with Mack Brown's fibula and our sudden lack at RB, we're down to 5 proven starters on the O-line, and we were short on the defensive line BEFORE those we had started getting banged up. Even if we got everyone back by late summer (and in several cases there are questions as to CHRONIC problems), there is the important lost time--both the individuals' learning curves AND their all coming together as a unit. Even the upbeat, make-no-excuses-Coach Muschamp grants that, though (to his credit) he does his best not to dwell on it, just note it and move on.
These are issues that will now be ongoing as we start the season, unfortunately; if ever there was a situation where we needed the head start Spring-practice offers, this was it.
Between what we WILL get from this coming season, plus the next recruiting class that is taking shape, I have nothing but confidence and excitement concerning 2012 and beyond for Gator Football.
2011 was harder to figure from the start, and these injuries I feel have moved back our development timetable at exactly the time and in exactly the areas that will most hamper us in the early going. All the more reason we may all have to be patient with this team and realistic in our expectations: keep our focus on the future, look for steady growth and improvement. This will eventually be a great Gator team...ENJOY THE RIDE.

 

[CaliZona_Gator]

yeah the RB position is really hurting, especially with Demps doing track. They all have a chance to be healthy by the time the season starts, so lets hope this injury plagued spring doesn't really hurt us once the season starts.

And our O-line might suck this year. They were supposed to be really good last year and were terrible. The good thing is that their are a lot of unproven guys on the O-line, so they will push each other to work hard and hopefully be better. I'm not too worried about the injuries on the O-line because it happens to almost every team during every spring practice session.

 

[DRU2012]

Good points, especially the idea that the younger guys will get a work out, chances to step forward.
Guess I'm preparing us (starting with MYSELF) for a bumpy road through the early going, all the more so with these particular set-backs.
On top of everything else, Brown breaking a bone in his leg strikes a bad note luck-wise, though. We're gonna need a solid up-the-middle guy in this offense (all the more so with Rainey reportedly tearing it up on the outside and in the slot this Spring), and though we've got a couple of promising recruits in the pipeline, 2011 set up to be Mack Brown's possible break-out year. Now, that AND the RB position in general are once again question marks at best.
Let's hope maybe there's a good luck side to all of this--that we get through our share of injuries now, early in the year with time to recover, then get and stay healthy once the season approaches.

 

[Leakfan12]

Really hope that 2011 is better than the 2010 season.