- Coming into the game, I was primarily worried about three position groups - defensive line, offensive line (because of pre-season injuries) and cornerback. After the game, I feel much better about our cornerbacks, feel a little better about our defensive line, and feel our offensive line did ok given the circumstances.
DEFENSE
- Defensive line: This group worries me. I just don't see the size and athleticism up front - especially on the interior. As Millen pointed out, we didn't get enough of a pass rush rush from our front four. Even our edge guys weren't doing anything great. Dwumfour has shown some flashes during his career but not with him being hurt, I worry that he won't be effective. Kemp didn't appear to do anything last night. I like Hutchinson but he may be a year away from being more of a consistent force. Hopefully, the young guys who didn't play last night will help but this looks like a weakness on our D. Our interior guys had very few tackles.
- Overall, I think we're going to need to be a team that out scores people this year. My impression is that the defensive line will hold this defense back this year.
- Millen kept singing the praises of the MTSU QB but I just don't think we put adequate pressure on him (and missed tackles when we did get to him). The QB really did not have the size and arm to throw the ball downfield or across the field. Given this inability to make us pay deep, I was disappointed at how much underneath/edge stuff we gave up . . . especially after turning the ball over twice.
- Linebacker: My initial impression (without having re-watched the game) was that Ross and Glasgow looked good. Although he didn't make any plays last night, Uche still looks explosive and like a guy who will be a pass rushing force from the LB position. Hudson had tackles but also looked like he made mistakes.
- Cornerback: Last year, other than his kick return, Ambry Thomas never did anything that jumped out to me. Last night, he looked elite. Super fast and quick. A smaller guy willing to get physical. That interception showed incredible athleticism. All of the sudden, he looks like a guy that will be playing on Sundays. Vincent Gray was solid as well. He's skinny but has got good length for a CB. Very promising. Hill had a tough night. It's also important to remember that he was likely filling in for DPJ as punt returner. I'm not too worried about him - especially in coverage.
- Safeties: The key thing is that nobody got behind them. I think they had a few missed tackles but overall, nothing bad stuck out. Safety is sometimes a position that requires snaps and experience (see Mettelus). I'm guessing that Hawkins develops into a very good one.
Overall: This won't be Brown's best defense - it appears that we don't have the guys up front to be dominant. We will need the offense to win some games for us.
OFFENSE
QB: I think Patterson is a very good college QB. But he's not really elite at anything. He's a clever runner but not a guy who is going to make running plays out of nothing. He has an ok arm but not great. His accuracy is inconsistent - especially on deep balls. I don't know how much that 1st half hit/possible injury hurt him but he appeared to be throwing off his back foot a bit during the game. I know many people love McCaffrey but it's tough to judge him because we've never really seen him come and and execute a passing game. He can run but he looks to be more of a fast in the open field guy more than a guy who is going to make defenders miss in tight spaces. He does seem to have a presence and confidence on the field that I like. I like that he has the toughness to put his shoulder down on runs but I'd prefer that he not do it - he's still pretty skinny and we don't need him getting hurt. I know it's a small sample size but Milton did ok in his few snaps including the completion he threw. Overally, I feel good about our QB situation - if we don't have a very good season, it won't be because of this group.
Running back: I was very happy about how our backs looked. IMO, we look better at this position than last year. I think Charbonnet already looks better than Higdon and Turner looks at least as good as Evans.
Tight end: I didn't focus on these guys blocking but I thought McKeon looked good out on routes. That TD catch he had showed great athleticism. I know people are complaining about his "drop" but, IMO, that was an incredibly difficult catch where he had to high point the ball and then bring it in with two defenders draped all over at him, attempting to strip him of the ball.
Wide receiver/slot receiver: Even without DPJ, this group looked incredible. Collins needs to catch the ball he dropped but not many teams are going to have wide receivers as long and as athletic as Collins and Black. Bell's drops weren't good but he's another athletic guy who I think will be a weapon. When Johnson wowed me with that tough catch. And our slots look super quick and athletic. I don't recall us having a receiver group like this since Edwards, Avant and Breaston.
Offensive line: All things considered, I thought the line did ok. It's important to remember that (1) were starting 2 redshirt freshmant, (2) we were running a brand new offense, (3) it was opening game and (4) MTSU was frequently loading the box and/or blitzing. Still, I thought the pass protection looked pretty good (I didn't see any clear mistakes by tackles). The run blocking needs work but I'm guessing this had more to do with missed assignments (see above) than being over powered. I'm guessing that Mayfield and Hayes both turn out to be All B10 tackles eventually. And I think assuming we get a healthy Runyan back, and with some seasoning, this turns out to be an very good offensive line which will allow us to exploit the talent we have at the skilled positions.
Overall: I believe we have the talent on the offensive side of the ball be a very good, if not great, offensive football team. Gattis has a lot to work with.
A couple of side notes:
- Does anyone else get scared when Nordin kicks extra points? They never seem to be kicked straight.
- It looks like we have elite returners. Giles Jackson looks super fast and elusive. DPJ is great once he gets back. And I thought Bell looked good returning punts.
- Hart still looks solid.
- Did Daxton Hill play last night?
- I thought Danna looked pretty good.
- The decision to spike the football before halftime was very bad.
- I'm sure Harbaugh wasn't happy with how we played. But I do like how he never throws his players under the bus publicly.
DEFENSE
- Defensive line: This group worries me. I just don't see the size and athleticism up front - especially on the interior. As Millen pointed out, we didn't get enough of a pass rush rush from our front four. Even our edge guys weren't doing anything great. Dwumfour has shown some flashes during his career but not with him being hurt, I worry that he won't be effective. Kemp didn't appear to do anything last night. I like Hutchinson but he may be a year away from being more of a consistent force. Hopefully, the young guys who didn't play last night will help but this looks like a weakness on our D. Our interior guys had very few tackles.
- Overall, I think we're going to need to be a team that out scores people this year. My impression is that the defensive line will hold this defense back this year.
- Millen kept singing the praises of the MTSU QB but I just don't think we put adequate pressure on him (and missed tackles when we did get to him). The QB really did not have the size and arm to throw the ball downfield or across the field. Given this inability to make us pay deep, I was disappointed at how much underneath/edge stuff we gave up . . . especially after turning the ball over twice.
- Linebacker: My initial impression (without having re-watched the game) was that Ross and Glasgow looked good. Although he didn't make any plays last night, Uche still looks explosive and like a guy who will be a pass rushing force from the LB position. Hudson had tackles but also looked like he made mistakes.
- Cornerback: Last year, other than his kick return, Ambry Thomas never did anything that jumped out to me. Last night, he looked elite. Super fast and quick. A smaller guy willing to get physical. That interception showed incredible athleticism. All of the sudden, he looks like a guy that will be playing on Sundays. Vincent Gray was solid as well. He's skinny but has got good length for a CB. Very promising. Hill had a tough night. It's also important to remember that he was likely filling in for DPJ as punt returner. I'm not too worried about him - especially in coverage.
- Safeties: The key thing is that nobody got behind them. I think they had a few missed tackles but overall, nothing bad stuck out. Safety is sometimes a position that requires snaps and experience (see Mettelus). I'm guessing that Hawkins develops into a very good one.
Overall: This won't be Brown's best defense - it appears that we don't have the guys up front to be dominant. We will need the offense to win some games for us.
OFFENSE
QB: I think Patterson is a very good college QB. But he's not really elite at anything. He's a clever runner but not a guy who is going to make running plays out of nothing. He has an ok arm but not great. His accuracy is inconsistent - especially on deep balls. I don't know how much that 1st half hit/possible injury hurt him but he appeared to be throwing off his back foot a bit during the game. I know many people love McCaffrey but it's tough to judge him because we've never really seen him come and and execute a passing game. He can run but he looks to be more of a fast in the open field guy more than a guy who is going to make defenders miss in tight spaces. He does seem to have a presence and confidence on the field that I like. I like that he has the toughness to put his shoulder down on runs but I'd prefer that he not do it - he's still pretty skinny and we don't need him getting hurt. I know it's a small sample size but Milton did ok in his few snaps including the completion he threw. Overally, I feel good about our QB situation - if we don't have a very good season, it won't be because of this group.
Running back: I was very happy about how our backs looked. IMO, we look better at this position than last year. I think Charbonnet already looks better than Higdon and Turner looks at least as good as Evans.
Tight end: I didn't focus on these guys blocking but I thought McKeon looked good out on routes. That TD catch he had showed great athleticism. I know people are complaining about his "drop" but, IMO, that was an incredibly difficult catch where he had to high point the ball and then bring it in with two defenders draped all over at him, attempting to strip him of the ball.
Wide receiver/slot receiver: Even without DPJ, this group looked incredible. Collins needs to catch the ball he dropped but not many teams are going to have wide receivers as long and as athletic as Collins and Black. Bell's drops weren't good but he's another athletic guy who I think will be a weapon. When Johnson wowed me with that tough catch. And our slots look super quick and athletic. I don't recall us having a receiver group like this since Edwards, Avant and Breaston.
Offensive line: All things considered, I thought the line did ok. It's important to remember that (1) were starting 2 redshirt freshmant, (2) we were running a brand new offense, (3) it was opening game and (4) MTSU was frequently loading the box and/or blitzing. Still, I thought the pass protection looked pretty good (I didn't see any clear mistakes by tackles). The run blocking needs work but I'm guessing this had more to do with missed assignments (see above) than being over powered. I'm guessing that Mayfield and Hayes both turn out to be All B10 tackles eventually. And I think assuming we get a healthy Runyan back, and with some seasoning, this turns out to be an very good offensive line which will allow us to exploit the talent we have at the skilled positions.
Overall: I believe we have the talent on the offensive side of the ball be a very good, if not great, offensive football team. Gattis has a lot to work with.
A couple of side notes:
- Does anyone else get scared when Nordin kicks extra points? They never seem to be kicked straight.
- It looks like we have elite returners. Giles Jackson looks super fast and elusive. DPJ is great once he gets back. And I thought Bell looked good returning punts.
- Hart still looks solid.
- Did Daxton Hill play last night?
- I thought Danna looked pretty good.
- The decision to spike the football before halftime was very bad.
- I'm sure Harbaugh wasn't happy with how we played. But I do like how he never throws his players under the bus publicly.
