Now that the excitement has died down and the reality that 15 games are still left to be played during the regular season this year has sunk in, what can we really take away from yesterday's game?
First, I believe our defense is for real. This is a group that Saban has blended perfectly with great veterans and talented young players. Our defense made very few if any errors and absolutely confused and confounded the Broncos all day - Rod Smith is on record as saying we were the best defense they will face all year. Perhaps the greatest thing about yesterday's game was that Saban used very few tricks to get the job done. All the players said that we brought a plain vanilla defense with very few pressures yesterday. Saban is truly a defensive genius and will show many looks during the year.
I believe that we can count on a good run stopping defense and a surprising pass defense. I think Saban's schemes will be a strong reason teams will have difficulty passing on us. They will be too confused to execute well. Remember, we didn't put that much pressure on the Broncos yesterday. How much better will this defense get when we actually bring on the blitzes Saban is famous for? Our defense is real and will be a solid Top 10, maybe Top 5 defense this year.
Special teams also appears to be real. Wes Welker has become our version of Steve Tasker. He is a "do-everything" player who always has to be accounted for. He is a great kick returner. We covered kicks well and Mare looks like he is truly back to his old form. Under Keith Armstrong, I would say this unit will be consistently good this year. Donnie Jones, because of his age, may be an occasional problem, but nothing major. By the way, our long snapper, John Denney, seems to be just fine.
Finally, I think we can say a few positive things about our offense. The line is getting better. After a few false starts, hopefully due to nervousness and first game jitters, the line settled down and played decently. They appeared to do a very good job pass blocking, but the run blocking isn't there yet. Personally, I think until McKinney either drastically improves or is replaced we will be a mediocre running team. Ricky will certainly help the running game, but he still needs holes to run through.
Gus, Linehan, and the passing game are for real. This was not a great performance. Chambers had an off day and Gus threw an interception, yet you could see the efficiency in play calling and the quality of receivers we have make this unit very promising. When Ronnie becomes a consistent, viable receiver and Ricky returns to make matters worse for defenses, I believe we will have an outstanding passing attack. Gus will not be a pro bowler this year, but good enough to get the job done.
There is hope again in DolphinLand. We have an adequate QB, great coaching, an emerging O-line, very good special teams, and a great defense. If we play efficiently without many mistakes (penalities, turnovers, missed assignments, etc), we will be a playoff team this year.
First, I believe our defense is for real. This is a group that Saban has blended perfectly with great veterans and talented young players. Our defense made very few if any errors and absolutely confused and confounded the Broncos all day - Rod Smith is on record as saying we were the best defense they will face all year. Perhaps the greatest thing about yesterday's game was that Saban used very few tricks to get the job done. All the players said that we brought a plain vanilla defense with very few pressures yesterday. Saban is truly a defensive genius and will show many looks during the year.
I believe that we can count on a good run stopping defense and a surprising pass defense. I think Saban's schemes will be a strong reason teams will have difficulty passing on us. They will be too confused to execute well. Remember, we didn't put that much pressure on the Broncos yesterday. How much better will this defense get when we actually bring on the blitzes Saban is famous for? Our defense is real and will be a solid Top 10, maybe Top 5 defense this year.
Special teams also appears to be real. Wes Welker has become our version of Steve Tasker. He is a "do-everything" player who always has to be accounted for. He is a great kick returner. We covered kicks well and Mare looks like he is truly back to his old form. Under Keith Armstrong, I would say this unit will be consistently good this year. Donnie Jones, because of his age, may be an occasional problem, but nothing major. By the way, our long snapper, John Denney, seems to be just fine.
Finally, I think we can say a few positive things about our offense. The line is getting better. After a few false starts, hopefully due to nervousness and first game jitters, the line settled down and played decently. They appeared to do a very good job pass blocking, but the run blocking isn't there yet. Personally, I think until McKinney either drastically improves or is replaced we will be a mediocre running team. Ricky will certainly help the running game, but he still needs holes to run through.
Gus, Linehan, and the passing game are for real. This was not a great performance. Chambers had an off day and Gus threw an interception, yet you could see the efficiency in play calling and the quality of receivers we have make this unit very promising. When Ronnie becomes a consistent, viable receiver and Ricky returns to make matters worse for defenses, I believe we will have an outstanding passing attack. Gus will not be a pro bowler this year, but good enough to get the job done.
There is hope again in DolphinLand. We have an adequate QB, great coaching, an emerging O-line, very good special teams, and a great defense. If we play efficiently without many mistakes (penalities, turnovers, missed assignments, etc), we will be a playoff team this year.
