Without overreacting to last night's loss, while assuming it wasn't a fluke, it was a humbling night and a night to sort of take inventory of where we're at in a big-picture sense.
I like Mike Riley a lot. I'm pulling for him and I believe in him. But I think we were lulled into a bit of a false sense of optimism. My biggest concern moving forward is the unusually large number of seniors/draft eligible players who are our best players.
I think most would agree that Nate Gerry, Jordan Westerkamp, Kevin Maurice and Cethan Carter are probably our best players. Tommy Armstrong was a good player, and it's NEVER easy to replace a multi-year starting quarterback. And then there's Chris Jones. If he leaves for the draft, think of how much that will hurt. We also lose two-thirds of our staring linebacking corps.
So, is next year a classic "rebuilding" year, where the roster kind of turns over and Riley's guys start dotting the starting lineup? What does the record look like with all those seniors and possibly Jones gone? We really haven't seen enough of any of the young LBs to know if they will contribute.
I like Mike Riley a lot. I'm pulling for him and I believe in him. But I think we were lulled into a bit of a false sense of optimism. My biggest concern moving forward is the unusually large number of seniors/draft eligible players who are our best players.
I think most would agree that Nate Gerry, Jordan Westerkamp, Kevin Maurice and Cethan Carter are probably our best players. Tommy Armstrong was a good player, and it's NEVER easy to replace a multi-year starting quarterback. And then there's Chris Jones. If he leaves for the draft, think of how much that will hurt. We also lose two-thirds of our staring linebacking corps.
So, is next year a classic "rebuilding" year, where the roster kind of turns over and Riley's guys start dotting the starting lineup? What does the record look like with all those seniors and possibly Jones gone? We really haven't seen enough of any of the young LBs to know if they will contribute.
