Seven Questions for Duke Football

[Bob Green]

The season kicks off in nine days so I'm going to throw this up like a Basketball Phase Post and see what happens. My desire is to create some excitement and promote football discussion. The season opener against North Carolina Central University, known as the Bull City Classic, is a week from Saturday, when we will start seeing the questions answered where they have to be answered - on the gridiron. Until then, let's talk some football on DBR.

I am wildly optimistic Duke will successfully earn a bowl bid for the second consecutive season. Personally, I am predicting seven regular season victories. In order for the team to achieve the success I envision, the following questions must be addressed. I've aligned the seven questions in their order of importance, from my perspective, which gives everyone an opportunity to fire away at both my questions, the answers, and the order in which they appear:

1. Can the team stay healthy?

Health is always topic number one! Especially after the way Duke was hammered by injuries in 2012. Fifteen scholarship players were unavailable for the season opener against FIU! Key players such as Kelby Brown and Braxton Deaver were out for the season. The defense was especially decimated throughout the season losing player after player from the secondary. The loss of senior Lee Butler proved impossible to overcome.

Coach Cutcliffe has stated depth is being improved and that depth will contribute to overall team health. Injuries are going to happen, they are a part of the game, but every effort must be made to keep them limited. Coach has used a quote from Coach Bryant – “You are only as good as your twos.”

Not unexpectedly, Duke has lost a player during Fall Camp. Offensive Tackle Tanner Stone is out for the season with a broken ankle and Offensive Tackle Casey Blaser is out for an undetermined time with a broken hand.

2. Will Anthony Boone achieve consistency as an every week quarterback?

With a consistent Anthony Boone at quarterback, the rest of the offense will fall into place. Boone was terrific when called upon last season. He led Duke to the decisive 4th quarter touchdown in the victory at Wake Forest and threw four touchdown passes the following week as Duke smashed Virginia 42-17 in Wallace Wade Stadium. Three of those touchdown passes went for 54, 37 and 45 yards as Boone demonstrated the ability to accurately throw the ball deep.

I was sitting in the end zone and saw the three long passes right in front of me and can attest the first and third were perfect strikes. The first touchdown pass deserves additional commentary. Boone took the snap and rolled out like the play was a designed run; suddenly he stopped, dropped back a step and passed the ball to Jamison Crowder for 54 yards and six points. Those six points were set-up by Boone’s threat to run, which should be a strong asset this year.

Can he be a consistent performer week in and week out for 13 (or 14) games? The answer to that question might very well be the fulcrum for Duke’s season.


3. Will experience along the defensive line translate into talented play?

Starters on the defensive line are projected to be sixth year senior Kenny Anunike, redshirt senior Justin Foxx, redshirt senior Sydney Sarmiento and redshirt junior Jamal Bruce. That is a lot of experience as the four combined have 68 starts. Health has been a problem along the D-line as evidenced by Anunike, Foxx and Bruce all missing multiple games in 2012 due to injury. When healthy, these guys are very experienced so they will need to step-up as a unit and play dominant football in the trenches.

The pass rush has been steadily improving, but the D-Line absolutely must improve at stopping the run.

The D-line has the potential to be a team strength this season and set the tone for the defense as a whole. With the inexperience lined-up behind them, they are going to have to be strong if the team is to improve on the 36 points and 469 yards they yielded to opponents per game in 2012.

4. Is improved performance at linebacker possible?

Linebacker play has been woeful. That is not an overstatement. But I am not ready to throw in the towel for a couple of reasons. First, Kelby Brown is healthy after missing all of 2012 recovering from knee surgery; second, juniors C.J. France and David Helton gained a lot of much needed experience last season. Now they are a year older, a year stronger, have another year studying the playbook and mastering techniques.

Brown has been a dynamic playmaker in the past with 17 starts, 128 tackles and four fumble recoveries. He is the leader of the linebackers so his return to action is huge.

Both France (11 starts) and Helton (six starts) have great size at 6’4” 230 and 6’4” 235 respectively. If they can utilize the experience gained last season, and combine it with improvements made in the off season, perhaps one or both will have a breakout year in 2013.

Sophomore Kyler Brown (2 starts) is another player with prototypical linebacker size at 6’4” 230. Deion Williams, who was impressive on special teams as a true freshman, should compete for snaps this season as well.

Whichever players end up seeing action at linebacker must do a much better job pursuing the ball and making tackles.

5. Will the young secondary survive?

If the answer to questions three and four proves to be yes, it will significantly assist the young secondary to survive. However, in the end, quarterbacks are going to throw the ball so the defensive backs have to be able to cover receivers, prevent big plays and create some turnovers in order to stop opponents from scoring. Coach Cutcliffe stated in one of the myriad of off-season and pre-season interviews that the offense cannot be expected to score 36 points every game. The defense must get some stops and a key ingredient to achieving those stops will be for the young secondary to mature in a hurry.

It seems like 3rd and long has been Duke’s nemesis in recent seasons right when the situation favors the defense forcing the opponent to punt, a big play occurs.

All-ACC Ross Cockrell will start at one corner with senior Garett Patterson listed as the other starter on preseason depth chart. Leading candidates to see significant action at cornerback are DeVon Edwards, Evrett Edwards and Breon Borders. Those youngsters are going to have to master the learning curve quickly at cornerback, which is a position where a player is often times on an island or in a sink or swim situation. Training Camp reports on Borders have been glowing.

At safety, the depth chart indicates a redshirt sophomore (Jeremy Cash), sophomore (Dwayne Norman) and a redshirt freshman (Corbin McCarthy) will start. That is a lot of youth. Cash is a transfer from Ohio State while Norman played in all 13 games last season with five starting assignments as a true freshman. McCarthy actually saw action in two early season games before suffering a season ending shoulder injury.

Reports during Training Camp indicate senior Anthony Young-Wiseman has moved ahead of McCarthy into a starting role. Young-Wiseman is a player who has battled injuries during his time at Duke but is reportedly healthy and ready to go as a senior.

6. Is the offensive line truly capable of dominating opponents?

The offensive line has received a ton of praise and is possibly the most hyped position on the team. Superlatives have been flowing in media reports over the summer. With 104 career starts amongst the starting line-up, and solid talent and experience throughout the two deep roster, the offensive line is poised to be the strength of the team in 2013.

With the offense looking to be more run oriented by implementing the Zone Read, the offensive line must live up to the hype, go out onto the field, and dominate opponents along the line of scrimmage.

While not as severe as at other positions, injuries have been a factor along the O-line. Takoby Cofield played when less than 100 percent healthy for much of 2012 and reserve Lucas Patrick missed games with a foot injury. Once again, health is imperative.

The O-line question ranks sixth of seven because they are a proven commodity. Duke allowed the second fewest sacks per pass attempt in the ACC in 2012. The O-line will definitely be solid; the team needs them to be dominant.

7. Will a viable second option emerge at wide receiver?

Duke has depth at wide receiver, it remains to be seen whether talent exist. With the departure of Conner Vernon to the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Jamison Crowder will be the primary focus of the opponent's secondary, which means he will be facing their most talented cornerback. If a second option isn't established, Crowder will also constantly be double teamed.

Issac Blakeney (32 career receptions) in the slot and Max McCaffrey outside are listed as the starters on the depth chart with freshman Johnell Barnes receiving a lot of praise during preseason camp. Senior Brandon Braxton brings much experience with him (54 career receptions) as he moves from safety back to the offensive side of the line of scrimmage. Receivers coach Scottie Montgomery has options available to him to work with so I am reasonably confident one or two receivers will establish themselves, opposite Crowder, which is the primary reason this question ranks last on my list of concerns.

There are several additional areas I did not touch upon in this write-up because they do not concern me. With Will Monday and Ross Martin handling the duties, the kicking game is in fantastic shape. In fact, it should be a weapon. Our depth and available talent at running back is the best it has been in forever. With four running backs returning from last season plus the addition of talented freshman Joseph Ajeigbe (who will most likely redshirt because of all the talent in front of him), this position is solid. Likewise at tight end, with the return from injury of Braxton Deaver alongside David Reeves who started all 13 games in 2012, talented redshirt freshman Dan Beilinson plus converted DE Nick Sink, tight end is solid.

All right folks, that's my take on the top seven questions facing Duke football in 2013. What do you think? Am I on track? Or, am I out in left field? One thing I am sure of is I’m interested in reading everyone’s opinion on the subject so let’s talk some football.

[OldPhiKap]

Excellent post, will re-read it. A few times between now and kickoff for sure.

From my perspective, the operative question is whether we can stop allowing third down conversions on defense. Boone should be fine, and his mobility adds a real wrinkle to hopefully go with an improved running game. We should be fine on the ends I think too.

When we have good defensive plays on first and second down, we have to stop giving up the seven yarders and fifteen yarders on third down. Get pressure on the QB, make the tackle.

[johnb]

The season kicks off in nine days so I'm going to throw this up like a Basketball Phase Post and see what happens. My desire is to create some excitement and promote football discussion. The season opener against North Carolina Central University, known as the Bull City Classic, is a week from Saturday, when we will start seeing the questions answered where they have to be answered - on the gridiron. Until then, let's talk some football on DBR.

I am wildly optimistic Duke will successfully earn a bowl bid for the second consecutive season. Personally, I am predicting seven regular season victories. In order for the team to achieve the success I envision, the following questions must be addressed. I've aligned the seven questions in their order of importance, from my perspective, which gives everyone an opportunity to fire away at both my questions, the answers, and the order in which they appear:

1. Can the team stay healthy?

Health is always topic number one! Especially after the way Duke was hammered by injuries in 2012. Fifteen scholarship players were unavailable for the season opener against FIU! Key players such as Kelby Brown and Braxton Deaver were out for the season. The defense was especially decimated throughout the season losing player after player from the secondary. The loss of senior Lee Butler proved impossible to overcome.

Coach Cutcliffe has stated depth is being improved and that depth will contribute to overall team health. Injuries are going to happen, they are a part of the game, but every effort must be made to keep them limited. Coach has used a quote from Coach Bryant – “You are only as good as your twos.”

Not unexpectedly, Duke has lost a player during Fall Camp. Offensive Tackle Tanner Stone is out for the season with a broken ankle and Offensive Tackle Casey Blaser is out for an undetermined time with a broken hand.

2. Will Anthony Boone achieve consistency as an every week quarterback?

With a consistent Anthony Boone at quarterback, the rest of the offense will fall into place. Boone was terrific when called upon last season. He led Duke to the decisive 4th quarter touchdown in the victory at Wake Forest and threw four touchdown passes the following week as Duke smashed Virginia 42-17 in Wallace Wade Stadium. Three of those touchdown passes went for 54, 37 and 45 yards as Boone demonstrated the ability to accurately throw the ball deep.

I was sitting in the end zone and saw the three long passes right in front of me and can attest the first and third were perfect strikes. The first touchdown pass deserves additional commentary. Boone took the snap and rolled out like the play was a designed run; suddenly he stopped, dropped back a step and passed the ball to Jamison Crowder for 54 yards and six points. Those six points were set-up by Boone’s threat to run, which should be a strong asset this year.

Can he be a consistent performer week in and week out for 13 (or 14) games? The answer to that question might very well be the fulcrum for Duke’s season.


3. Will experience along the defensive line translate into talented play?

Starters on the defensive line are projected to be sixth year senior Kenny Anunike, redshirt senior Justin Foxx, redshirt senior Sydney Sarmiento and redshirt junior Jamal Bruce. That is a lot of experience as the four combined have 68 starts. Health has been a problem along the D-line as evidenced by Anunike, Foxx and Bruce all missing multiple games in 2012 due to injury. When healthy, these guys are very experienced so they will need to step-up as a unit and play dominant football in the trenches.

The pass rush has been steadily improving, but the D-Line absolutely must improve at stopping the run.

The D-line has the potential to be a team strength this season and set the tone for the defense as a whole. With the inexperience lined-up behind them, they are going to have to be strong if the team is to improve on the 36 points and 469 yards they yielded to opponents per game in 2012.

4. Is improved performance at linebacker possible?

Linebacker play has been woeful. That is not an overstatement. But I am not ready to throw in the towel for a couple of reasons. First, Kelby Brown is healthy after missing all of 2012 recovering from knee surgery; second, juniors C.J. France and David Helton gained a lot of much needed experience last season. Now they are a year older, a year stronger, have another year studying the playbook and mastering techniques.

Brown has been a dynamic playmaker in the past with 17 starts, 128 tackles and four fumble recoveries. He is the leader of the linebackers so his return to action is huge.

Both France (11 starts) and Helton (six starts) have great size at 6’4” 230 and 6’4” 235 respectively. If they can utilize the experience gained last season, and combine it with improvements made in the off season, perhaps one or both will have a breakout year in 2013.

Sophomore Kyler Brown (2 starts) is another player with prototypical linebacker size at 6’4” 230. Deion Williams, who was impressive on special teams as a true freshman, should compete for snaps this season as well.

Whichever players end up seeing action at linebacker must do a much better job pursuing the ball and making tackles.

5. Will the young secondary survive?

If the answer to questions three and four proves to be yes, it will significantly assist the young secondary to survive. However, in the end, quarterbacks are going to throw the ball so the defensive backs have to be able to cover receivers, prevent big plays and create some turnovers in order to stop opponents from scoring. Coach Cutcliffe stated in one of the myriad of off-season and pre-season interviews that the offense cannot be expected to score 36 points every game. The defense must get some stops and a key ingredient to achieving those stops will be for the young secondary to mature in a hurry.

It seems like 3rd and long has been Duke’s nemesis in recent seasons right when the situation favors the defense forcing the opponent to punt, a big play occurs.

All-ACC Ross Cockrell will start at one corner with senior Garett Patterson listed as the other starter on preseason depth chart. Leading candidates to see significant action at cornerback are DeVon Edwards, Evrett Edwards and Breon Borders. Those youngsters are going to have to master the learning curve quickly at cornerback, which is a position where a player is often times on an island or in a sink or swim situation. Training Camp reports on Borders have been glowing.

At safety, the depth chart indicates a redshirt sophomore (Jeremy Cash), sophomore (Dwayne Norman) and a redshirt freshman (Corbin McCarthy) will start. That is a lot of youth. Cash is a transfer from Ohio State while Norman played in all 13 games last season with five starting assignments as a true freshman. McCarthy actually saw action in two early season games before suffering a season ending shoulder injury.

Reports during Training Camp indicate senior Anthony Young-Wiseman has moved ahead of McCarthy into a starting role. Young-Wiseman is a player who has battled injuries during his time at Duke but is reportedly healthy and ready to go as a senior.

6. Is the offensive line truly capable of dominating opponents?

The offensive line has received a ton of praise and is possibly the most hyped position on the team. Superlatives have been flowing in media reports over the summer. With 104 career starts amongst the starting line-up, and solid talent and experience throughout the two deep roster, the offensive line is poised to be the strength of the team in 2013.

With the offense looking to be more run oriented by implementing the Zone Read, the offensive line must live up to the hype, go out onto the field, and dominate opponents along the line of scrimmage.

While not as severe as at other positions, injuries have been a factor along the O-line. Takoby Cofield played when less than 100 percent healthy for much of 2012 and reserve Lucas Patrick missed games with a foot injury. Once again, health is imperative.

The O-line question ranks sixth of seven because they are a proven commodity. Duke allowed the second fewest sacks per pass attempt in the ACC in 2012. The O-line will definitely be solid; the team needs them to be dominant.

7. Will a viable second option emerge at wide receiver?

Duke has depth at wide receiver, it remains to be seen whether talent exist. With the departure of Conner Vernon to the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Jamison Crowder will be the primary focus of the opponent's secondary, which means he will be facing their most talented cornerback. If a second option isn't established, Crowder will also constantly be double teamed.

Issac Blakeney (32 career receptions) in the slot and Max McCaffrey outside are listed as the starters on the depth chart with freshman Johnell Barnes receiving a lot of praise during preseason camp. Senior Brandon Braxton brings much experience with him (54 career receptions) as he moves from safety back to the offensive side of the line of scrimmage. Receivers coach Scottie Montgomery has options available to him to work with so I am reasonably confident one or two receivers will establish themselves, opposite Crowder, which is the primary reason this question ranks last on my list of concerns.

There are several additional areas I did not touch upon in this write-up because they do not concern me. With Will Monday and Ross Martin handling the duties, the kicking game is in fantastic shape. In fact, it should be a weapon. Our depth and available talent at running back is the best it has been in forever. With four running backs returning from last season plus the addition of talented freshman Joseph Ajeigbe (who will most likely redshirt because of all the talent in front of him), this position is solid. Likewise at tight end, with the return from injury of Braxton Deaver alongside David Reeves who started all 13 games in 2012, talented redshirt freshman Dan Beilinson plus converted DE Nick Sink, tight end is solid.

All right folks, that's my take on the top seven questions facing Duke football in 2013. What do you think? Am I on track? Or, am I out in left field? One thing I am sure of is I’m interested in reading everyone’s opinion on the subject so let’s talk some football.

How do you give forks?

[OldPhiKap]

How do you give forks?

Button on bottom left of his post. Keep "approve" in the pop-up box

[devildeac]

The season kicks off in nine days so I'm going to throw this up like a Basketball Phase Post and see what happens. My desire is to create some excitement and promote football discussion. The season opener against North Carolina Central University, known as the Bull City Classic, is a week from Saturday, when we will start seeing the questions answered where they have to be answered - on the gridiron. Until then, let's talk some football on DBR.

I am wildly optimistic Duke will successfully earn a bowl bid for the second consecutive season. Personally, I am predicting seven regular season victories. In order for the team to achieve the success I envision, the following questions must be addressed. I've aligned the seven questions in their order of importance, from my perspective, which gives everyone an opportunity to fire away at both my questions, the answers, and the order in which they appear:

1. Can the team stay healthy?

Health is always topic number one! Especially after the way Duke was hammered by injuries in 2012. Fifteen scholarship players were unavailable for the season opener against FIU! Key players such as Kelby Brown and Braxton Deaver were out for the season. The defense was especially decimated throughout the season losing player after player from the secondary. The loss of senior Lee Butler proved impossible to overcome.

Coach Cutcliffe has stated depth is being improved and that depth will contribute to overall team health. Injuries are going to happen, they are a part of the game, but every effort must be made to keep them limited. Coach has used a quote from Coach Bryant – “You are only as good as your twos.”

Not unexpectedly, Duke has lost a player during Fall Camp. Offensive Tackle Tanner Stone is out for the season with a broken ankle and Offensive Tackle Casey Blaser is out for an undetermined time with a broken hand.

2. Will Anthony Boone achieve consistency as an every week quarterback?

With a consistent Anthony Boone at quarterback, the rest of the offense will fall into place. Boone was terrific when called upon last season. He led Duke to the decisive 4th quarter touchdown in the victory at Wake Forest and threw four touchdown passes the following week as Duke smashed Virginia 42-17 in Wallace Wade Stadium. Three of those touchdown passes went for 54, 37 and 45 yards as Boone demonstrated the ability to accurately throw the ball deep.

I was sitting in the end zone and saw the three long passes right in front of me and can attest the first and third were perfect strikes. The first touchdown pass deserves additional commentary. Boone took the snap and rolled out like the play was a designed run; suddenly he stopped, dropped back a step and passed the ball to Jamison Crowder for 54 yards and six points. Those six points were set-up by Boone’s threat to run, which should be a strong asset this year.

Can he be a consistent performer week in and week out for 13 (or 14) games? The answer to that question might very well be the fulcrum for Duke’s season.


3. Will experience along the defensive line translate into talented play?

Starters on the defensive line are projected to be sixth year senior Kenny Anunike, redshirt senior Justin Foxx, redshirt senior Sydney Sarmiento and redshirt junior Jamal Bruce. That is a lot of experience as the four combined have 68 starts. Health has been a problem along the D-line as evidenced by Anunike, Foxx and Bruce all missing multiple games in 2012 due to injury. When healthy, these guys are very experienced so they will need to step-up as a unit and play dominant football in the trenches.

The pass rush has been steadily improving, but the D-Line absolutely must improve at stopping the run.

The D-line has the potential to be a team strength this season and set the tone for the defense as a whole. With the inexperience lined-up behind them, they are going to have to be strong if the team is to improve on the 36 points and 469 yards they yielded to opponents per game in 2012.

4. Is improved performance at linebacker possible?

Linebacker play has been woeful. That is not an overstatement. But I am not ready to throw in the towel for a couple of reasons. First, Kelby Brown is healthy after missing all of 2012 recovering from knee surgery; second, juniors C.J. France and David Helton gained a lot of much needed experience last season. Now they are a year older, a year stronger, have another year studying the playbook and mastering techniques.

Brown has been a dynamic playmaker in the past with 17 starts, 128 tackles and four fumble recoveries. He is the leader of the linebackers so his return to action is huge.

Both France (11 starts) and Helton (six starts) have great size at 6’4” 230 and 6’4” 235 respectively. If they can utilize the experience gained last season, and combine it with improvements made in the off season, perhaps one or both will have a breakout year in 2013.

Sophomore Kyler Brown (2 starts) is another player with prototypical linebacker size at 6’4” 230. Deion Williams, who was impressive on special teams as a true freshman, should compete for snaps this season as well.

Whichever players end up seeing action at linebacker must do a much better job pursuing the ball and making tackles.

5. Will the young secondary survive?

If the answer to questions three and four proves to be yes, it will significantly assist the young secondary to survive. However, in the end, quarterbacks are going to throw the ball so the defensive backs have to be able to cover receivers, prevent big plays and create some turnovers in order to stop opponents from scoring. Coach Cutcliffe stated in one of the myriad of off-season and pre-season interviews that the offense cannot be expected to score 36 points every game. The defense must get some stops and a key ingredient to achieving those stops will be for the young secondary to mature in a hurry.

It seems like 3rd and long has been Duke’s nemesis in recent seasons right when the situation favors the defense forcing the opponent to punt, a big play occurs.

All-ACC Ross Cockrell will start at one corner with senior Garett Patterson listed as the other starter on preseason depth chart. Leading candidates to see significant action at cornerback are DeVon Edwards, Evrett Edwards and Breon Borders. Those youngsters are going to have to master the learning curve quickly at cornerback, which is a position where a player is often times on an island or in a sink or swim situation. Training Camp reports on Borders have been glowing.

At safety, the depth chart indicates a redshirt sophomore (Jeremy Cash), sophomore (Dwayne Norman) and a redshirt freshman (Corbin McCarthy) will start. That is a lot of youth. Cash is a transfer from Ohio State while Norman played in all 13 games last season with five starting assignments as a true freshman. McCarthy actually saw action in two early season games before suffering a season ending shoulder injury.

Reports during Training Camp indicate senior Anthony Young-Wiseman has moved ahead of McCarthy into a starting role. Young-Wiseman is a player who has battled injuries during his time at Duke but is reportedly healthy and ready to go as a senior.

6. Is the offensive line truly capable of dominating opponents?

The offensive line has received a ton of praise and is possibly the most hyped position on the team. Superlatives have been flowing in media reports over the summer. With 104 career starts amongst the starting line-up, and solid talent and experience throughout the two deep roster, the offensive line is poised to be the strength of the team in 2013.

With the offense looking to be more run oriented by implementing the Zone Read, the offensive line must live up to the hype, go out onto the field, and dominate opponents along the line of scrimmage.

While not as severe as at other positions, injuries have been a factor along the O-line. Takoby Cofield played when less than 100 percent healthy for much of 2012 and reserve Lucas Patrick missed games with a foot injury. Once again, health is imperative.

The O-line question ranks sixth of seven because they are a proven commodity. Duke allowed the second fewest sacks per pass attempt in the ACC in 2012. The O-line will definitely be solid; the team needs them to be dominant.

7. Will a viable second option emerge at wide receiver?

Duke has depth at wide receiver, it remains to be seen whether talent exist. With the departure of Conner Vernon to the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Jamison Crowder will be the primary focus of the opponent's secondary, which means he will be facing their most talented cornerback. If a second option isn't established, Crowder will also constantly be double teamed.

Issac Blakeney (32 career receptions) in the slot and Max McCaffrey outside are listed as the starters on the depth chart with freshman Johnell Barnes receiving a lot of praise during preseason camp. Senior Brandon Braxton brings much experience with him (54 career receptions) as he moves from safety back to the offensive side of the line of scrimmage. Receivers coach Scottie Montgomery has options available to him to work with so I am reasonably confident one or two receivers will establish themselves, opposite Crowder, which is the primary reason this question ranks last on my list of concerns.

There are several additional areas I did not touch upon in this write-up because they do not concern me. With Will Monday and Ross Martin handling the duties, the kicking game is in fantastic shape. In fact, it should be a weapon. Our depth and available talent at running back is the best it has been in forever. With four running backs returning from last season plus the addition of talented freshman Joseph Ajeigbe (who will most likely redshirt because of all the talent in front of him), this position is solid. Likewise at tight end, with the return from injury of Braxton Deaver alongside David Reeves who started all 13 games in 2012, talented redshirt freshman Dan Beilinson plus converted DE Nick Sink, tight end is solid.

All right folks, that's my take on the top seven questions facing Duke football in 2013. What do you think? Am I on track? Or, am I out in left field? One thing I am sure of is I’m interested in reading everyone’s opinion on the subject so let’s talk some football.

Great analysis, Bob. Heard (from a recent former FB manager) that we may have a re-incarnation of Desmond Scott in the form of Juwan Thompson who may see some snaps at WR considering all the talented RB we have;). Would be nice for that to happen to get another talented athlete/play maker on the field.

[Billy Dat]

Bob - thanks for the effort. I am one of those hoops-obsessed, Duke-football-ignorant alums that needs all the help I can get.

Pat Forde's "ACC at a Glance Slideshow" calls Cut the best coach in the ACC
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/acc-at-a-glance-slideshow/

Quick tangent - it amazes me that one of the children of the internet information revolution is the proliferation of annotated slideshows as a ubiquitous means for presenting lists of various sorts, which I am assuming have proven to be "sticky" and thus increases reader duration, engagement, adviews, etc. Maybe Don Draper was right about the Kodak Carousel..."it's not a spaceship...it's a time machine!"

[sagegrouse]

Bob - thanks for the effort. I am one of those hoops-obsessed, Duke-football-ignorant alums that needs all the help I can get.

Pat Forde's "ACC at a Glance Slideshow" calls Cut the best coach in the ACC
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/acc-at-a-glance-slideshow/

Quick tangent - it amazes me that one of the children of the internet information revolution is the proliferation of annotated slideshows as a ubiquitous means for presenting lists of various sorts, which I am assuming have proven to be "sticky" and thus increases reader duration, engagement, adviews, etc. Maybe Don Draper was right about the Kodak Carousel..."it's not a spaceship...it's a time machine!"

Here's the entirety of the Pat Forde item:


Best Coach: David Cutcliffe, Duke. He took the Blue Devils bowling for the first time in 18 years. But the fact that Cutcliffe is the choice for this tells you why the ACC is where it is in the national pecking order.

While funny, here's hoping Duke and the ACC do something special in football.

sagegrouse

[Acymetric]

Great analysis, Bob. Heard (from a recent former FB manager) that we may have a re-incarnation of Desmond Scott in the form of Juwan Thompson who may see some snaps at WR considering all the talented RB we have;). Would be nice for that to happen to get another talented athlete/play maker on the field.

Interesting...I might have guessed Snead was more likely to take that role, it is pretty fun though to imagine some poor safety trying to bring him down one on one :cool:

[Bob Green]

Interesting...I might have guessed Snead was more likely to take that role, it is pretty fun though to imagine some poor safety trying to bring him down one on one :cool:

Thompson caught 24 passes in 2012 compared to 10 receptions for Snead.

[loran16]

Interesting...I might have guessed Snead was more likely to take that role, it is pretty fun though to imagine some poor safety trying to bring him down one on one :cool:

Snead's more likely to stay as part of a 1-2 RB punch with Duncan, ala last year. Course neither guy caught many passes last year.

Good post Bob, although I'd have made 5/7 points Defense related since that's whats holding this team back :-/

[devildeac]

Interesting...I might have guessed Snead was more likely to take that role, it is pretty fun though to imagine some poor safety trying to bring him down one on one :cool:


Thompson caught 24 passes in 2012 compared to 10 receptions for Snead.


Snead's more likely to stay as part of a 1-2 RB punch with Duncan, ala last year. Course neither guy caught many passes last year.

Good post Bob, although I'd have made 5/7 points Defense related since that's whats holding this team back :-/

A bit of "inside" info is that Powell has looked pretty good in the backfield, too, so, if that is true, having three good RB is a good sign. Would like to have Mike Klein or Jim Sumner comment on this, too;).

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

A bit of "inside" info is that Powell has looked pretty good in the backfield, too, so, if that is true, having three good RB is a good sign. Would like to have Mike Klein or Jim Sumner comment on this, too;).

Shaquille Powell is very talented, has been productive in the pre season camp. He's going to surprise some folks this year.

[Papa John]

Quick tangent - it amazes me that one of the children of the internet information revolution is the proliferation of annotated slideshows as a ubiquitous means for presenting lists of various sorts, which I am assuming have proven to be "sticky" and thus increases reader duration, engagement, adviews, etc.

Actually, no... The reason for the proliferation of slideshows is because one of the key metrics used in analyzing the relative 'success' of web content and websites is page views. One of the main ways that a display advertiser pays is based on CPM (cost per mille), which is an agreed-upon rate for every thousand page impressions. If you put a list of ten items on a single page, it gets you a single impression. However, if you string that into a gallery of 10 images/pages, then you are more likely to average more than a single page impression (depending upon the quality of the content or the subject of the list). The first method is far easier to read and the more honest method [which is one reason why you see a lot of these sites offering a mechanism where you can view all as a list—they just force you to expend a little extra mental effort and an additional click to do so (so they're getting at least 2 impressions from every visitor, unless you immediately bail on the list)].

Back to the subject at hand—great rundown, Bob! Cut is definitely doing an amazing job. I've actually always been a huge Notre Dame football fan, and he was brought in by Charlie Weis [when Weis was hired] as the QB coach, but then had heart issues and had to step away from the position. I was ecstatic to see him take the Duke job, and even more so when he turned down Tennessee when they came calling. He's the real deal, folks, and is well on his way to getting the Duke FB program back on the map. A second consecutive bowl game would be an amazing step and show some real consistency.

[Acymetric]

Snead's more likely to stay as part of a 1-2 RB punch with Duncan, ala last year. Course neither guy caught many passes last year.

Good post Bob, although I'd have made 5/7 points Defense related since that's whats holding this team back :-/

I guess mostly I just always saw Juwan as our kind of bowling ball style power back (if I recall his lifting numbers are off the charts). Our top 3 guys are very strong backs though, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see someone else set up from the group set up out there from time to time as well. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Snead has already lined up at a receiver position (slot?) at some point in his career.

[jafarr1]

Snead has the better speed, and so he would seem to be the more likely choice for splitting out at WR, at first glance. Unfortunately, he probably has the worst hands of Thompson, Duncan and him.

The other reason for Thompson getting the nod is that he's slated to take on more of Connette's "phantom" role to protect Connette now that he's our #2 QB. As others have noted, Powell gives us enough depth and talent at RB that we need to be creative to get all four some touches, and this is one way to do it. The running backs have also been getting work on kickoff returns, so we'll likely see one or more pop up there.

We should see some interesting formations as part of our offense this year. We can put out three RB's at a time (Thompson split out, with two others in the backfield), we have four receivers who are 6'5" or taller (Deaver, Blakeney, Nash, Schneider), and we've got some quick young talent that should see time at WR (Ryan Smith, Johnell Barnes). Toss in TE Nick Sink, who should be a real asset to our running game, and our offense should be able to have some fun.

[Dukehky]

I think that Blakeney will be a key to the offense this year. His shift to wide receiver gives us our first big target outside since Eron Riley, and I really think that he's going to be a real threat especially in the red zone. I'm curious to see how Crowder operates as the number 1 option, but would not be surprised if Isaac becomes Boone's number 1 option this year, and honestly I think that that would be a great sign for the offense.

[devildeac]

I think that Blakeney will be a key to the offense this year. His shift to wide receiver gives us our first big target outside since Eron Riley, and I really think that he's going to be a real threat especially in the red zone. I'm curious to see how Crowder operates as the number 1 option, but would not be surprised if Isaac becomes Boone's number 1 option this year, and honestly I think that that would be a great sign for the offense.

I read in some brief notes in the Raleigh N&O on Thursday that Duke has 3 or 4 receivers over 6'5". Those are some nice targets to find:D. Hopefully they have hands like glue. Also, the article talked quite a bit about Scottie Montgomery and how all the receivers really like him and he is more analytical/technical than just "try to get 10 yards." They have 14 WR on the squad according to the article and obviously Crowder has the #1 chair and Blakeney is #2 and the "rankings" change regularly. Just searched for and found the article so y'all can read it here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/21/3125991/former-steelers-wr-montgomery.html

[Bob Green]

This year's team captains are: Anthony Boone, Ross Cockrell, Justin Foxx and Dave Harding:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/24/3134018/duke-football-names-captains-for.html

Interesting to note is three of four are from North Carolina. Coach Cutcliffe has done a solid job recruiting in state talent.

[loran16]

Shaquille Powell is very talented, has been productive in the pre season camp. He's going to surprise some folks this year.

Sigh. I suspect this is going to make me hate this. Shaq Powell may have taken a big step forward. But Duke has two guys who have proven they can be really productive RBs. Too many times over the past decade has Duke decided to play like 4 RBs, with lousy ones taking valuable minutes away from better players. Powell can play in blowouts and such, but seriously, you shouldn't need him to keep Snead and Duncan fresh.

[Mike Corey]

Stop thanking Bob for his excellent analysis; because of him, it will be much harder to concentrate this week.

Go Duke, beat everyone at everything.

[jafarr1]

Sigh. I suspect this is going to make me hate this. Shaq Powell may have taken a big step forward. But Duke has two guys who have proven they can be really productive RBs. Too many times over the past decade has Duke decided to play like 4 RBs, with lousy ones taking valuable minutes away from better players. Powell can play in blowouts and such, but seriously, you shouldn't need him to keep Snead and Duncan fresh.

First off, none of our running backs are "lousy". Thompson may not be our best ball-carrier, but he's among our best at other things like blocking (run and pass) and route-running, both of which will give him a place in our offense. And Shaq Powell had numerous accolades coming out of high school, including a four-star rating from Rivals, so his emergence is no surprise - and no guarantee that he's going to get a ton of carries this year.

Keep in mind that we'll see the following this season:
* We'll use more two-back sets, which will open up more playing time.
* Thompson will spend some time in our phantom role, which will get him some of his snaps and leave the RB slot open for another guy.
* If one of our RBs gets dinged up, rather than having him play through it and possibly get hurt worse, we can sit him with confidence.
* The RBs have talked numerous times about feeding the hot hand this season, so if a player does well, he shouldn't get benched just to give somebody else carries.

Forget the last decade. We haven't had running back depth like this in a long, long time. It's certainly possible that the staff will out-think itself at times, but having this much quality depth at RB is a nice problem to have, not something to hate.

[OldPhiKap]

I long for the day when my biggest concern about the football team is too much depth.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I long for the day when my biggest concern about the football team is too much depth.
Check with Nick Saban. There is no such thing as too much depth. :cool:

[OldPhiKap]

Check with Nick Saban. There is no such thing as too much depth. :cool:

Totally agree. I am more concerned with a thinness in the secondary than too many quality guys in the backfield.

Hope all is well DiBD, hope to see you at a tailgate in the fall!

Let's Go Duke!!!!

[matt1]

It is now Tuesday, meaning only 4 days to go!

The keys are the secondary and Boone's development in my mind.

[Dev11]

I want to see turnovers from the secondary. I also want to see South Carolina take North Carolina to the woodshed on Thursday night.

[loran16]

First off, none of our running backs are "lousy". Thompson may not be our best ball-carrier, but he's among our best at other things like blocking (run and pass) and route-running, both of which will give him a place in our offense. And Shaq Powell had numerous accolades coming out of high school, including a four-star rating from Rivals, so his emergence is no surprise - and no guarantee that he's going to get a ton of carries this year.

Keep in mind that we'll see the following this season:
* We'll use more two-back sets, which will open up more playing time.
* Thompson will spend some time in our phantom role, which will get him some of his snaps and leave the RB slot open for another guy.
* If one of our RBs gets dinged up, rather than having him play through it and possibly get hurt worse, we can sit him with confidence.
* The RBs have talked numerous times about feeding the hot hand this season, so if a player does well, he shouldn't get benched just to give somebody else carries.

Forget the last decade. We haven't had running back depth like this in a long, long time. It's certainly possible that the staff will out-think itself at times, but having this much quality depth at RB is a nice problem to have, not something to hate.

Lousy was in the past, but there is very likely a drop off in talent between RBs. Powell may have been highly rated out of HS, but that doesn't mean he's on the level of the other two guys, who have far more experience succeeding.

No one is saying that we should not use Powell or anyone else if one of the two main backs is hurt, but we shouldn't be throwing Powell into sets just because we can. And if we think he's better than Duncan or Snead, YOU SHOULD USE HIM OVER THEM.

Using relatively worse players is not a better outcome.

[airowe]

Lousy was in the past, but there is very likely a drop off in talent between RBs. Powell may have been highly rated out of HS, but that doesn't mean he's on the level of the other two guys, who have far more experience succeeding.

No one is saying that we should not use Powell or anyone else if one of the two main backs is hurt, but we shouldn't be throwing Powell into sets just because we can. And if we think he's better than Duncan or Snead, YOU SHOULD USE HIM OVER THEM.

Using relatively worse players is not a better outcome.

All three are really talented. They'll all play. Snead, Duncan and Powell all bring different things to the table. They'll be behind Boone in different sets at different times. They could all three be in the backfield at the same time.

[Dev11]

All three are really talented. They'll all play. Snead, Duncan and Powell all bring different things to the table. They'll be behind Boone in different sets at different times. They could all three be in the backfield at the same time.

Per a tweet from Lauren Brownlow at FOX Sports, Juwan and Jela are the first-string RBs, and Josh and Shaq are the second string. So that's interesting.

[airowe]

Per a tweet from Lauren Brownlow at FOX Sports, Juwan and Jela are the first-string RBs, and Josh and Shaq are the second string. So that's interesting.

Juwan is listed as the starting running back, although he will likely play the "phantom" role. Here's the depth chart and some thoughts: http://duke.247sports.com/Board/59461/Two-Deep-coming-out-20871686/1#a20874032

[Dev11]

Juwan is listed as the starting running back, although he will likely play the "phantom" role. Here's the depth chart and some thoughts: http://duke.247sports.com/Board/59461/Two-Deep-coming-out-20871686/1#a20874032

Thanks, Adam. Any idea how playing time/style will break down between Juwan and Brandon Connette at 'phantom?' Will we see sets with both of them? I imagine there are many offensive permutations we'll see, especially against Central.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I want to see turnovers from the secondary. I also want to see South Carolina take North Carolina to the woodshed on Thursday night.

Amen on the whipping! I want it to be the kind of night that makes North Carolina never want to play a Spurrier team again.

[airowe]

Thanks, Adam. Any idea how playing time/style will break down between Juwan and Brandon Connette at 'phantom?' Will we see sets with both of them? I imagine there are many offensive permutations we'll see, especially against Central.

That's a good question. Don't have that detailed an answer, but through camp Connette was lined up as the backup QB nearly the entire time the media was allowed to watch him. I'm assuming that he'd get time at other positions during live play as he's just too talented to keep off the field. Of course, this all depends on the health of Anthony Boone, Thomas Sirk and the progression of Parker Boehme. I wouldn't be shocked to see Quay Chambers in for a few sets here and there either, but the staff may want to preserve his redshirt unless he's needed. Kid's a hell of an athlete.

[devildeac]

I want to see turnovers from the secondary. I also want to see South Carolina take North Carolina to the woodshed on Thursday night.


Amen on the whipping! I want it to be the kind of night that makes North Carolina never want to play a Spurrier team again.

41-0 sounds good. Please post photos:D.

[OldPhiKap]

3569
41-0 sounds good. Please post photos:D.

[matt1]

41-0 sounds good. Please post photos:D.

I want worse. I also want to see Clowney have another hit, but this time on Renner!

[Dev11]

That's a good question. Don't have that detailed an answer, but through camp Connette was lined up as the backup QB nearly the entire time the media was allowed to watch him. I'm assuming that he'd get time at other positions during live play as he's just too talented to keep off the field. Of course, this all depends on the health of Anthony Boone, Thomas Sirk and the progression of Parker Boehme. I wouldn't be shocked to see Quay Chambers in for a few sets here and there either, but the staff may want to preserve his redshirt unless he's needed. Kid's a hell of an athlete.

Good stuff, thanks. I agree, I can't imagine that Cut wants to play Quay Chambers this year, unless we find ourselves with Maryland's QB health luck.

His commitment to the phantom role may become a wrinkle in recruiting. "Hey young man, we know you can throw and run and catch a little, come play a position designed for you at Duke."

[jafarr1]

His commitment to the phantom role may become a wrinkle in recruiting. "Hey young man, we know you can throw and run and catch a little, come play a position designed for you at Duke."

Check out Johnathan Lloyd in this year's recruiting class. Same kind of thing: plays QB in high school, tremendous athlete, not ready to stop playing QB completely.

[Bob Green]

1. Can the team stay healthy?
2. Will Anthony Boone achieve consistency as an every week quarterback?
3. Will experience along the defensive line translate into talented play?
4. Is improved performance at linebacker possible?
5. Will the young secondary survive?
6. Is the offensive line truly capable of dominating opponents?
7. Will a viable second option emerge at wide receiver?



The first bye weekend has arrived so I thought it time to revisit the Seven Questions for Duke Football thread and close it out with a recap. The bottom line is we are 3-2 over the first five games having beaten the teams we are suppose to beat. The bye week arrives at an opportune time so the team can heal up and fully prepare to go up against the Navy Midshipmen and their triple option, spread option, flexbone, whatever the hell it is called offense.

On to the questions:

1. No! Anthony Boone has a broken collarbone, the status of three linebackers (Kelby Brown, Kyler Brown and C.J. France) is up in the air, running back Jela Duncan is dinged up, and young but obviously very talented wide receiver/kick returner Johnell Barnes is walking around campus with his hand in a cast.

2. No! You can't be a consistent every week quarterback with a broken collarbone. There is a reason why I always insist "health" be topic #1 - because it is important. The good news is Brandon Connette has been very good and getting better the more he plays. Yes, he threw four interceptions against Pittsburgh, but hey, stuff happens. Connette has completed 64.1% of his passes, thrown 11 TDs against six INTs and rushed for six more TDs. Connette has performed admirably during Boone's absence.

3. Yes! A tough call but I'll go with Yes because I think we are tougher up the middle. The pass rush needs to improve a lot, and opponents seem to beat our defense on the edge, but the defensive line is holding their own straight up the middle and that is a very good thing.

4. Yes! However, injuries are a concern (there's #1 rearing its ugly head again). Kelby Brown being back has translated into the instant improvement most knowledgeable Duke fans expected. Additionally, David Helton and Kyler Brown have been solid. Helton was very good against Troy leading the team in tackles at 15. Unfortunately, Kelby Brown didn't play against Troy due to injury, and Kyler Brown and C.J. France were injured during the game. With no injury report released today, due to it being a bye week, the status of all three is a big unknown!

5. Yes! It would be easy to point to the Pittsburgh game and say "No way!" However, the truth is the young secondary is holding their own and the youngsters have a high ceiling. Are they perfect? No, they are a work in progress.

6. The jury is still out on this one. The offensive line has played very good football so far, but they need to play very good football against ACC competition before I answer this one with a full yes. They held their own against GT and Pitt, but the team is going to need dominating performances in key upcoming ACC games such as at Virginia.

7. Yes! But it has been by committee. Brandon Braxton (14 catches/2 TDs), Max McCaffrey (11 receptions/2 TDs) and Johnell Barnes (5 receptions) have forced opponents to defend both sides of the field instead of focusing all their energy on stopping Jamison Crowder.

So for the seven questions, the answers are four yes, two no and one the jury is still out.

I would classify Phase II as the three games between bye week 1 and bye week 2: Navy, at Virginia and at Virginia Tech.

Thoughts? Is a Phase II post warranted? Who wants to draft it?

[loran16]

The first bye weekend has arrived so I thought it time to revisit the Seven Questions for Duke Football thread and close it out with a recap. The bottom line is we are 3-2 over the first five games having beaten the teams we are suppose to beat. The bye week arrives at an opportune time so the team can heal up and fully prepare to go up against the Navy Midshipmen and their triple option, spread option, flexbone, whatever the hell it is called offense.

On to the questions:

1. No! Anthony Boone has a broken collarbone, the status of three linebackers (Kelby Brown, Kyler Brown and C.J. France) is up in the air, running back Jela Duncan is dinged up, and young but obviously very talented wide receiver/kick returner Johnell Barnes is walking around campus with his hand in a cast.

2. No! You can't be a consistent every week quarterback with a broken collarbone. There is a reason why I always insist "health" be topic #1 - because it is important. The good news is Brandon Connette has been very good and getting better the more he plays. Yes, he threw four interceptions against Pittsburgh, but hey, stuff happens. Connette has completed 64.1% of his passes, thrown 11 TDs against six INTs and rushed for six more TDs. Connette has performed admirably during Boone's absence.

3. Yes! A tough call but I'll go with Yes because I think we are tougher up the middle. The pass rush needs to improve a lot, and opponents seem to beat our defense on the edge, but the defensive line is holding their own straight up the middle and that is a very good thing.

4. Yes! However, injuries are a concern (there's #1 rearing its ugly head again). Kelby Brown being back has translated into the instant improvement most knowledgeable Duke fans expected. Additionally, David Helton and Kyler Brown have been solid. Helton was very good against Troy leading the team in tackles at 15. Unfortunately, Kelby Brown didn't play against Troy due to injury, and Kyler Brown and C.J. France were injured during the game. With no injury report released today, due to it being a bye week, the status of all three is a big unknown!

5. Yes! It would be easy to point to the Pittsburgh game and say "No way!" However, the truth is the young secondary is holding their own and the youngsters have a high ceiling. Are they perfect? No, they are a work in progress.

6. The jury is still out on this one. The offensive line has played very good football so far, but they need to play very good football against ACC competition before I answer this one with a full yes. They held their own against GT and Pitt, but the team is going to need dominating performances in key upcoming ACC games such as at Virginia.

7. Yes! But it has been by committee. Brandon Braxton (14 catches/2 TDs), Max McCaffrey (11 receptions/2 TDs) and Johnell Barnes (5 receptions) have forced opponents to defend both sides of the field instead of focusing all their energy on stopping Jamison Crowder.

So for the seven questions, the answers are four yes, two no and one the jury is still out.

I would classify Phase II as the three games between bye week 1 and bye week 2: Navy, at Virginia and at Virginia Tech.

Thoughts? Is a Phase II post warranted? Who wants to draft it?

Holy Cow do I disagree Bob. You answered Yes! to all three defensive questions. Again for reminder, in D according to football outsiders (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaadef) - duke ranks 85th in the country out of 126. This would again be last in the ACC. That may be improved from last year's 112th, but these #s don't take opponent adjustments fully into account and are probably skewed by our first two games.

Duke is 58th in Run D and 92nd in Pass D. The latter of which certainly shows the secondary is not exactly surviving as much as is being carried by the rest of the team. It has been pretty darn dreadful.

Moreover the D Line is completely useless in the passing game. Duke is tied with Wake for 11th in sacks with 8 sacks over 5 games. The Line has put zero pressure on the QBs in the passing game and nearly every sack has been a coverage sack. (This hasn't helped the secondary).

[Bob Green]

Holy Cow do I disagree Bob. You answered Yes! to all three defensive questions.

I acknowledge the pass rush has been unsatisfactory, but we have been tougher up the middle. We handled the dive play against GT, it was the outside option that killed us.

Are you saying linebacker play has not improved? Look at my original comments in Post #1 where I say "Linebacker play has been woeful."

I'll give you the secondary. Perhaps I am guilty of a little too much of the glass half full outlook on life.

Can I draft you to draft the Phase II Post?

[loran16]

I acknowledge the pass rush has been unsatisfactory, but we have been tougher up the middle. We handled the dive play against GT, it was the outside option that killed us.

Are you saying linebacker play has not improved? Look at my original comments in Post #1 where I say "Linebacker play has been woeful."

I'll give you the secondary. Perhaps I am guilty of a little too much of the glass half full outlook on life.

Can I draft you to draft the Phase II Post?

Sure! I can do it over the weekend.

[Indoor66]

Sure! I can do it over the weekend.

Do we look for a half empty glass now? ;):D:cool:

[loran16]

Do we look for a half empty glass now? ;):D:cool:

There'll be positive things in there! Even one perhaps about the D!

[DukeSean]

There'll be positive things in there! Even one perhaps about the D!

It must be Friday :)