2014 Football Preseason Discussion Thread

[budwom]

Yup, Olympic makes a lot of good points as do others...but having seen all of our games (like many on this board) I don't see how our pass rush
can be deemed adequate. We'll simply have to start doing better at this, and perhaps we will with the combination of experience and new guys.

[dpslaw]

Given the relative strength of the secondary, even marginal improvements in our pass rush ought to yield big dividends.

[budwom]

Given the relative strength of the secondary, even marginal improvements in our pass rush ought to yield big dividends.

Absolutely! It's amazing how well our VERY young secondary did given the poor pass rush. It was startling how
the defensive backfield evolved during the season (after the Pitt debacle) and how much athletic new talent
emerged there. Maybe this is the year our pass rush improves, let's hope so.

[roywhite]

Absolutely! It's amazing how well our VERY young secondary did given the poor pass rush. It was startling how
the defensive backfield evolved during the season (after the Pitt debacle) and how much athletic new talent
emerged there. Maybe this is the year our pass rush improves, let's hope so.

With the experience and talent in the secondary, I'd guess we also see more blitz packages that involve them directly. Maybe some ways to spring Jeremy Cash to go after the QB.

Not as desirable as a consistent rush from the front four, but I think the overall defense can be improved this year.

[Bob Green]

Here are links to and quotes from a couple of preview articles from College Football News:

http://duke.scout.com/story/1411557-...-to-know?s=167

Yeah, Duke will have its share of defensive problems, especially if a pass rusher doesn’t emerge. But it’ll also have those games in which the D lights the fuse with a couple of picks and pick-sixes.

http://duke.scout.com/story/1411558-...-preview?s=167

Key game:

Sept. 27 at Miami. Is Duke ready to defend its Coastal Division crown? This trip to Sun Life Stadium will provide the first clues about the Blue Devils’ 2014 ceiling.

Both articles contain some good information, especially for those trying to gain an understanding of team personnel, strengths and challenges for Duke in the coming season. They are definitely worth the few minutes it takes to read them.

[uh_no]

goduke released an article where they claimed duke was #17 in the USA today preseason poll

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

I have yet to see any source for this though, and the only USA today preseason ranking i can find has duke outside the top 25

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-2014/4327545/

anyone have any idea what the actual source might be?

[75Crazie]

I had a similar failure in confirming the GoDuke claim. I actually spent some time paging though the gawd-awful USA Today web pages and found a complete listing that showed Duke ranked #45.

[Olympic Fan]

goduke released an article where they claimed duke was #17 in the USA today preseason poll

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

I have yet to see any source for this though, and the only USA today preseason ranking i can find has duke outside the top 25

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-2014/4327545/

anyone have any idea what the actual source might be?

This is confusing ... Keep in mind that there are TWO USA Today rankings. One is the official USA Today Coaches' Poll, which plays a large part in the BCS standings. This is the actual vote of their coaching panel. Only trouble is that it is MUCH too early for the first 2014 poll. That poll will be out in August.

Then there are the newspaper's own preseason predictions, which is what is linked. But that link doesn't show Duke at No. 17 or even in the top 25 (it does show FSU at No. 1; Clemson at No. 19 and UNC at No. 24).

I have no idea what goduke is talking about ... but the story is extremely compete and detailed. It's hard to believe that it is made up out of thin air. Is there ANOTHER USA Today poll we don't know about?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Perhaps when the Sport Information office reopens tomorrow this lingering question can be answered.

[grossbus]

Boone interview in today's Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sport...0,5199813.post

[Reilly]

I had a similar failure in confirming the GoDuke claim. I actually spent some time paging though the gawd-awful USA Today web pages and found a complete listing that showed Duke ranked #45.

I was wondering if we might be #37 (in an 'others receiving votes' sort of way, and somebody mis-typed or something). Jawja Bulldogs #17 in the USA Today listing I found.

[airowe]

goduke released an article where they claimed duke was #17 in the USA today preseason poll

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

I have yet to see any source for this though, and the only USA today preseason ranking i can find has duke outside the top 25

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-2014/4327545/

anyone have any idea what the actual source might be?

The USA Today College Football Preview Magazine has Duke at #17.

http://duke.247sports.com/Board/5949...azine-29122841

Duke bought the magazine. USA Today hasn't revealed their Top 25 yet (they're at #78 in their countdown now)

[Jim3k]

On that 247sports dot com page, there is a blue devil that is unrecognizable. Looks like the Central Connecticut Blue Devil facing front. Is 247 Sports unable to get the logo right? Over the years we have had several design changes. You'd think they could find an accurate (even if older) version.

And Central Connecticut might want to chime in, too.

[Bob Green]

Redshirt freshman TE Dan Beilinson has suffered an off season injury and will be unavailable to compete in 2014:

http://vimeo.com/97944042

We have good depth at TE with Braxton Deaver, David Reeves and Erich Schneider, but it would have been good for Beilinson to gain some experience this season.

[OldPhiKap]

Redshirt freshman TE Dan Beilinson has suffered an off season injury and will be unavailable to compete in 2014:

http://vimeo.com/97944042

We have good depth at TE with Braxton Deaver, David Reeves and Erich Schneider, but it would have been good for Beilinson to gain some experience this season.

Sad to hear that. Dan, good luck with recovery --- come back stronger and hungrier!

[airowe]

On that 247sports dot com page, there is a blue devil that is unrecognizable. Looks like the Central Connecticut Blue Devil facing front. Is 247 Sports unable to get the logo right? Over the years we have had several design changes. You'd think they could find an accurate (even if older) version.

And Central Connecticut might want to chime in, too.

No, we're not allowed to use the Duke Blue Devil logo for copyright reasons so I had an artist develop an alternative one for me.

http://www.trademarklicensing.duke.e...rademarks.html

[Olympic Fan]

The Golden Nugget just released opening lines on 200 college football games next season. Just one Duke game made the list -- Duke will open as a three-point underdog against UNC in a Nov. 11 Thursday night game:

http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/20...+Point+Spreads

Long way to go and a lot can happen before that gametime (and clearly, the line will change before kickoff), but give me equal luck on health and I'd really like to put money on Duke to beat a team they've beaten twice in a row ...

[Dev11]

The Golden Nugget just released opening lines on 200 college football games next season. Just one Duke game made the list -- Duke will open as a three-point underdog against UNC in a Nov. 11 Thursday night game:

http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/20...+Point+Spreads

Long way to go and a lot can happen before that gametime (and clearly, the line will change before kickoff), but give me equal luck on health and I'd really like to put money on Duke to beat a team they've beaten twice in a row ...

Further, don't underestimate the allure of the Victory Bell. It's not college football's most glamorous rivalry trophy, but it's almost certainly the loudest, and I'm fairly sure the Yoh building is now known to ring with some regularity.

[Bob Green]

BqlNmTMIgAA2o-N.jpg

[OldPhiKap]

BqlNmTMIgAA2o-N.jpg

Seats with backs? Hallelujah!