Just thinking about the players we can least afford to lose this season. Some superstitious fans hate this kind of talk. If you prefer to call it our most valuable players, that’s great.
You’ll notice some glaring omissions, including guys like Zac Stacy who could make all-conference or surrender his starting position to another veteran (Warren Norman) or even a true freshman (Jerron Seymour). Or a guy like Larry Smith, who’s won a starting job at a critical position but could lose it after one poor performance.
Here’s our list of vital players:
1. LB Chris Marve, R-SR: The heart and soul of our team. If anybody can will us to win, it’s Marve.
2. CB Casey Hayward, SR: A future NFL cornerback and the kind of weapon you need to compete in the SEC.
3. OL Wesley Johnson, R-SO : Our best offensive lineman who can play anywhere on the line.
4. WR Jordan Matthews, SO: The legitimate SEC receiver we’ve been looking for since Earl Bennett left a year early for the NFL.
5. OL Ryan Seymour, R-JR: With Johnson moving to center, he’s by far the best option to play left tackle.
6. TE Brandon Barden, R-SR: A future NFL tight end who’s a versatile weapon capable of making huge plays in big games.
7. S Sean Richardson, SR: A tough hitter and defensive leader. We’ve got a lot of young talent at safety, but we need this guy on the field more than any of them.
8. P Richard Kent, R-JR: No, his leg didn’t fall off last season. He’s rested and booming the ball higher than ever. Could be our unsung hero this year.
9. CB Trey Wilson, JR: Has steadily gotten better every year and is now ready for the action he’ll see when teams throw away from Hayward’s side of the field.
10. WR Jonathan Krause, SO: Lots of questions at receiver, but he and Matthews aren’t among them.
11. OL Kyle Fischer, R-SR: One of our three sure-fire starters on the O-line, he’s one of our largest players, and a seasoned veteran and leader.
12. DE Tim Fugger, R-SR: We’ve got some young talent at end, but Fugger has by far the most experience to go with his speed on the edge.
3 comments:
Great posts. The sportswriters have us penciled in as dead last.........just like in '08.
With this new coaching staff and with a few early-season wins, there will (again)be some SEC teams playing us with their fingers crossed behind their backs.
I agree with anonymous; we will be better than most think. However, that depends on one other position that you didn't mention. I think the kicking might be critical. I know there is a new guy competing against last year's player. Sorry I don't recall their names, but I do think that success at that position (or lack of or injury) is critical. If the kicker's foot gets hurt, we are screwed
Yes, kicking is critical. But my criteria here was picking 12 guys we couldn't replace. We have two good field goal kickers. Franklin said today that Carey Spear won the job "by a coin toss." His backup, Ryan Fowler, has started for two years. So If Spear gets hurt, we have a capable and experienced replacement in Fowler. But we'd be screwed if we lost Richard Kent, our only true punter; that's why we put him and not a kicker on the list.
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