Actually, I feel the acquisition of X. Carter today ensures that our receiver core will remain among the elites in all of college football. I don't see how it can get much better than last year's crew though, because last years crew was about as talented as it gets. Maybe a strong-armed accurate passer who knows how to read defenses like the back of his hand can make them even more effective.
I think the "reading the defenses" thing is overblown. I think our offense is relatively simple. A simply more talented QB should be able to make many more big plays downfield than Mauck was able to make with his limited accuracy and arm-strength. What's exciting is having even more fast (faster, even) receivers come into the program who will bring new facets to the passing game. Mauck was not able to throw that pro-style deep out that a Russell can. When you have receivers with track speed, you can beat defense with 10-20 outs all day long. And, then, you can hit them with the down-out-and-up as well as the stop-and-go routes for the deep six. Fun times are coming for the Tiger offense.
Jimbeaux will be spending his "spare" moments thinking of ways to get all of these weapons on the field. By all accounts, Doucet is like a much larger Skyler Green, and X-man has Bennie Brazille speed except that he can catch and he has 35 lbs. and 5 inches on Bennie. Bowe is a large, physical receiver who can catch the ball in traffic. Amp Hill was said to be pushing Devery (yeah, the same guy who made the Thorpe award winner look like toast in the Senior Bowl) for PT before he was hurt in fall camp. Davis has also looked good in his limited opportunities this year. Add to these options the fact that we have David Jones as a serious pass-catching threat at TE or FB, and that both JV and Addai are good receivers out of the backfield. Plus these guys get to practice against the best CB's in the nation in Corey and Travis Daniels. If they can learn to separate and catch on LSU's DB's, they will seriously torch most teams. Of our opponents only UGA has anything like the kind of DB's LSU has. If we can get good play out of the QB position (and bear in mind that while Mauck did not always look that good, he was the SEC leader in passing efficiency in 2003), our offense in 2004 could be as scary good as our defense.
I think the freshmen QB's running the practice squad against our #1 defense has at least conditioned them for the quickness of a good SEC defense.
No doubt practicing vs. our defense is better than practicing vs. an average one, but it will be a whole different story once the season starts. The mental pressure will be much higher in a real game that counts...sure you don't like it when you mess up in practice, but deep down you know it's just practice. In an SEC game, if you mess up you may be costing your team the conference championship - and that kind of pressure cannot be simulated. I thought Mauck made a lot of mistakes in most of the important games he played in this year - and while I do like him and think he's an above avg. QB, he by no means was great and the defense bailed him out more times than I care to remember. If JM or MF can be half as efficient as Mauck in completion %, but not throw 2 interceptions in every important game, the team will be just as good. The only games we lost, or came close to losing, Mauck was the culprit.
These young guys will make the big plays that everyone seems to be obsessing over, but the problem will short routes/passes to keep drives alive. Running past the coverage is easy when you're that fast, but will they be able get open underneath? I hope so.
Or receivers couldn't pssibly any better than last season IMO but we could be almost as good. As soon as they get the experience on the hot reads and stuff they will be very dangerous and we'll be awfully deep. Who they will double team will be anyone's guess in the beginning but I think Amp Hill will be the best in the begininng of the young guys. Skyler will be our veteran and hoepfully he'll rmember his routes, unless of course we are playing UGA, then we just wnat him to run a down and up!!!
