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ShowMeBuck;2302865; said:
For me it is:

1.) Brax to continue improving his reads and mechanics as a thrower which means less 3 and outs.
2.) O Line remains healthy YES
3.) Finding LB talent to play alongside Shazier and reloading the D line.

That's my FIFY. But basically, Yup.
 
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I think if these 3 happen the sky is the limit. I'm not too worried about the D Line. I look for Bennett to emerge this year and I was really impressed by all 3 of Schutt, Washington and Spence. Schutt in particular surprised me. The D Line will have a few veterans but it will be a young group. I think Vrabel gets them fired up and ready.

Integrating the young offensive weapons should yield quick results. Especially since they don't need to have them make an immediate impact, our offense should already be solid. Getting Hall going in the pivot spot excites me because at least he is familiar with it even thought he didn't get many reps last year. It's not like it will be a totally foreign concept to him. Just having someone to watch in that role will help Wilson IMO.
 
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ShowMeBuck;2302865; said:
For me it is:

1.) Brax to continue improving his reads and mechanics as a thrower
2.) O Line remains healthy
3.) Finding LB talent to play alongside Shazier

I think this is a great list. There are a lot of questions going into this season, IMO
Who's going to step up on the D Line? Can Spence and Washington have breakout years? Will Steve Miller finally show us what he's all about? Will Tommy Schutt and Joey Bosa contribute? Can Michael Bennett stay healthy? The Talent is there, but there isn't a great deal of experience. We're going to need big production out of that group, especially with the concerns we have at LBer.

I'm really comfortable with our backs and receivers. I think that Corey Smith can come in and compete from day one to be a true outside receiver. I also think that this will allow Corey Brown to move to the slot. Devin Smith showed flashes last year and if he continues to improve, he can be a good player for us. I'm most excited to see some of the young guys (Wilson, Marshall) sprinkled in.

I'm also very comfortable with our secondary. Although we're replacing Howard, we return arguably the best corner in the country in Roby. He's special, and this will probably be his last year, IMO. I think Bryant and Barnett are excellent players and an improvement from those two would make it easier on a guy like Grant to step up and seize that boundary corner position. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Vonn Bell as the nickle this year. He's got great cover skills and has shown the toughness needed to step up and make a tackle.

This could be a special year for us. I think the lack of depth on the offensive line is a minor concern. However, injuries could turn that into a disaster. The biggest concern I have is LBer. I think we'll know pretty early how our staff feels about the LBers. If Mike Mitchell or Trey Johnson are in the starting lineup, I think that would signal the end of Curtis Grant's tenure at LBer.
 
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1. Braxton stops taking so many sacks and blind shots - guess that's the same as "improves his reads."

2. Help at linebacker - got spoiled in the Katzenmoyer - Hawk - Larinittus era.

3. Receiver corps matures.

D-line always seems to take care of its end of the bargain with the run, pass rush varies.
 
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ShowMeBuck;2302865; said:
For me it is:

1.) Brax to continue improving his reads and mechanics as a thrower
2.) O Line remains healthy
3.) Finding LB talent to play alongside Shazier

Agree with all these and would like to add 2 more which i think have to be improved to be a great team next season

4) Improved tackling (improved towards end of the year but has to be addressed)
5) Special Teams (we do not have a true punter and many missed assignments which lead to blocked punts)
 
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The Offense has the potential to play lights out and really carry this team this year. Would not be surprised to see us average over 40 pts a game this year with what we have returning, along with the addition of some real playmakers coming in.

The Defense is going to be interesting as we have amazing talent on that side of the ball. Youth and inexperience could hurt us though. Another concern: Who are going to be the leaders on D that step up?

:osu:
 
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scarletngray;2306422; said:
The Offense has the potential to play lights out and really carry this team this year. Would not be surprised to see us average over 40 pts a game this year with what we have returning, along with the addition of some real playmakers coming in.

The Defense is going to be interesting as we have amazing talent on that side of the ball. Youth and inexperience could hurt us though. Another concern: Who are going to be the leaders on D that step up?

:osu:

There are plenty of canidates.. Roby, Shazier, Bennett, Bryant, Barnett.. ok maybe not PLENTY, but enough.
 
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cincibuck;2302971; said:
1. Braxton stops taking so many sacks and blind shots - guess that's the same as "improves his reads."

2. Help at linebacker - got spoiled in the Katzenmoyer - Wilhelm -Hawk - Larinittus era.

3. Receiver corps matures.

D-line always seems to take care of its end of the bargain with the run, pass rush varies.

FIFY
 
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3 keys are funny - there are many more than that, but if I had to pick

1. Braxton develops from a thrower who can destroy people when the ball is in his hands to a passer who can run but also sets up his receivers so they can shoulder the burden as well.

2. Carlos Hyde, Rod Smith, Brionte Dunn and whoever else need to rush for a combined 1500 yards at the very minimum this year. The running game can't all be on Braxton's shoulders either.

3. The defense keeps it simple and plays hard. The D doesn't have to be spectacular, they just have to get the job done. The defense has now had a serious infusion of athletes who need to be molded into players.
 
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ShowMeBuck;2302865; said:
For me it is:

1.) Brax to continue improving his reads and mechanics as a thrower
2.) O Line remains healthy
3.) Finding LB talent to play alongside Shazier

I really think Brax, the O-line, and LBers will be just fine.

For me it is more consistent play from:

1) the WRs (a lot fewer dropped passes)
2) DL pass rushers (more pressure in their QB)
3) the special teams (get a few big plays and don't give up any)
 
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