I booked my flights for New Orleans, so perhaps we'll do a special edition podcast live from Bourbon Street after the game. Might have to throw an adult content warning on it.
We can watch this 2015 Duke Football Hype Video and get EVEN MORE fired up for Blue Devils Football! "Be pissed off for greatness, don't settle for mediocrity!"
https://youtu.be/-9H9Q3QUSbg
I booked my flights for New Orleans, so perhaps we'll do a special edition podcast live from Bourbon Street after the game. Might have to throw an adult content warning on it.
Scout doesn't think much of our running backs. They rank Duke 10th in the ACC:
http://www.scout.com/college/footbal...rankings?s=167
While I agree Duncan will make an impact in the passing game, because he is a good receiver coming out of the backfield, my expectation is he will make an impact in the running game first and foremost.Of course Jela Duncan is back from academic suspension. He should make an impact in the Duke passing game.
Bob Green
I think likely they just have many teams to follow and don't keep tabs on exactly who will make what impact nearly as well as we do. The same thing happens with stock analysts...who are following a ton of stocks and thus can't worry about the minutiae to the degree that individuals more intimate with the company can.
1200. DDMF.
Bob - As the article you just posted in the 2016 Football Recruiting thread, ESPN seems to really like Duke's RB situation:
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/i...ke-blue-devils
A trio of running backs gives Duke perhaps the most depth at that position in the ACC.
I like the ESPN sound bite a lot more than Scout's. Of course, we actually have quartet of running backs. Joe Ajeigbe is a solid running back who should see increased opportunity in 2015.A trio of running backs gives Duke perhaps the most depth at that position in the ACC.
Bob Green
Coach Cutcliffe previews the defensive line:
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200
Bob Green
Tying into your train theme there (and with recent verbals from Koby Quansah, Tre Hornbuckle, and others), The Blue Devil Football Express is continuing to pickup steam! I'm fully confident that we'll keep picking up momentum as we roll into Nawlins on Sept 3rd with Engineer Cutcliffe at the helm.
P.S. - I finally looked at the video highlights for Mr. Hornbuckle and with some additional muscle/weight, he may very well be another defensive end for us who's effective in putting pressure on opposing QBs. If the staff is excited about this young man, well...I am too.
In Cut I trust. He's given us no reason not to at this point. I am curious if they targeted Mr. Hornbuckle for that new hybrid DE/LB position that is getting debuted this year with Kyler Brown as the starter in that spot. What are your thoughts after looking at the video?
I'm certainly no football expert (recruiting or otherwise), but Hornbuckle appears in this highlights video to have the explosiveness off the line and quickness to hopefully wreak some havoc in opposing teams' backfields at the next level. I like the passion and emotion that he displays sometimes after making a big play...I might even go so far as to say he plays with a bit of a mean streak but that's just my perception. I never played football (I'm a shrimp), but I would think emotion like that on the field would be contagious and I personally would have really enjoyed playing with a teammate like that. But yes, in Cut we trust - and that trust appears to certainly be well founded.
Not to criticize, but when you say "another defensive end for us who's effective in putting pressure on opposing QBs," to whom are you referring as others?
I love where our program is right now, but I would say that arguably our biggest problem over the past few years has been a mediocre to poor pass rush. JDO was pretty good last year, but is gone.
And the current guys like Grier, Williams, Kyler Brown, have shown little. We do have a couple of frosh coming in this year who should be good down the road (perhaps that what you're referring to), but
at this point I expect another tough year when it comes to putting the pressure on QBs.
I enjoy reading your posts, you tend to be very insightful and very well thought out in your comments. While I agree Duke is young on the DL and lacks a lot of experience upfront, I believe the talent at those positions (DE,DL) is on an upswing. I do not believe Duke with have a stellar year from the DL, but I do believe the possibility exists that the Blue Devils will be statistically better in that area this year. By this I mean that I expect to see Duke be better against the run and better at pressuring the QB. By next year, I think fans will see a marked improvement from the DL.
Oh, I understand where you're coming from and I don't view it so much as criticism as wanting clarification. I totally agree that Duke has been unable to consistently put pressure on opponents' quarterbacks for many years now. Yes, my thought/hope is that Tre (and/or one of the other incoming guys) will be the next in a long...er, short line () of Duke players who were able to do this effectively. I'm embarrassed to admit this but I almost totally forgot about one of my fave players from recent years, Kenny Anunike. The guy was an absolute warrior, had a real passion for football (as evidenced by the fact that he had 4 surgeries on his left knee and surgery on his right ankle), yet still was able to make some big plays in the backfield during his time at Duke. Injuries are obviously part of football but I can only imagine how good Kenny might have been had he been pretty much injury free.
Budwom, it will be very interesting to see what transpires because if we can ratchet up the pressure even somewhat in opponents' backfields hopefully the ensuing chaos will setup guys like Kelby, Jeremy, and others to make some big plays. I just have a gut feeling (nothing more) that Mr. Hornbuckle will do his share and maybe more (in time).
Tre Hornbuckle (2016) has another year of high school football in front of him. However, the 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes brought in some solid prospects who could make an impact in this season. However, redshirt junior Allen Jackson (6'5" 260) is the first guy to keep your eyes on. He injured his shoulder and underwent surgery as a freshman and has struggled to gain traction ever since. He is healthy now and will provide good size at DE. Jackson wears #96.
Marquies Price (6'6" 225) enrolled early, participated in spring practice, and impressed Coach Cutcliffe. I cannot remember Cutcliffe's exact words so I'm paraphrasing, "Price has the potential to develop into the best DE I've had at Duke." Those are strong words.
Trevon McSwain (6'6" 240) was ranked a few spots higher than Price according to Scout. He will be behind Price from a learning curve perspective due to not having the benefit of spring practice; however, McSwain is a player to keep an eye on.
Taariq Shabazz (6'3" 225) is a rising redshirt freshman who is struggling to get healthy. Expectations are high for Shabazz once he can achieve and maintain his health. This may not happen in 2015.
The future is bright at DE although performance in 2015 remains a big question mark. Can one of the youngsters contribute immediately? We may need them to. Another thing which needs to be pointed out/remembered is Duke will be utilizing a new scheme in 2015 involving the defensive ends and outside linebackers. The scheme will include the use of a hybrid DE/LB who will be operating from an standing position.
Bob Green