Hey, Wassup?
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I'm new here and I'm still trying to get familiar with how things run at ArmChairGM.com. If you've never read my blog before, I write for Saturday Sound Offs and I write articles for Bring the Blitz.
I just wanted to share a feature that I do for SSO. Just recently, I have been interviewing bloggers from around the blogosphere about their respective teams. This is a sample:
"I also had the opportunity to interview Sean from Block U.
1. Do you think Brian Johnson, if he stays healthy, is the best QB in the Mountain West? I mean, there are some talented guys like Caleb Haine, Shaun Carney, Karsten Sween, and Donovan Portiere. I do believe Brian Johnson has the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. In 2005 he was a sophomore that stepped in with limited gametime snaps and was 11th in the nation in pass efficiency and 4th in total offense. In 2005 I would have ranked him slightly behind John Beck of BYU and now that Beck has graduated, there is not much doubt in my mind that he will be the best quarterback in the conference.
2. Does the pass defense get better? It was ranked 80th in the nation last season.
The pass defense is a big concern heading into this season. Utah's pass defense has struggled over the past few years, even in 2004 they ranked 42nd. As for improvement, I'm hoping there is and I really don't think they can get any worse than 80th in the nation -- though who knows. There are seniors returning at the linebacker position, but experience does not automatically make a group better.
3. Will losing Jason Boone hurt the offense more than some think?
The loss of Jason Boone hurts a ton for Utah, because they've had to shift everything on the offensive line. Zane Beadles, a 6'4, 312 lbs sophomore, will move over from left guard to left tackle. Beadles is a solid player and should soften the blow of losing Boone. But there is no denying that it will have an impact, how great of an impact though, I can't say. Utah has traditionally had strong offensive lines, so I do have hope the impact will be minimal.
4. Also, will the loss of Eric Weddle be damaging to their hopes of taking the MWC crown? Losing Eric Weddle was a blow to an already weak secondary. As for it costing Utah a chance at the conference championship, probably not. Sean Smith looks to replace Weddle and while he's not nearly as good, he's fast, quick and big. He should make the transition in the secondary easier. Utah's offense will also help the defense, since last year the inconsistent play -- turnovers by Brett Ratliff -- often left the defense with a short field to defend against. I don't expect that this season and that should go along way toward improving Utah's defense. However, the Utes will only win this conference if TCU falters, and I'm not sure that happens.
5. Are they going to get at least one huge upset against Oregon State, UCLA, or Louisville?
I'd like to think Utah can upset any of those three, but I can't say. I went into last year's opener against UCLA with thoughts of a solid win against the Bruins and watched as the Utes were embarrassed by what turned out to be a very average UCLA team. I think if Utah's going to get an upset, their best chance will be against Oregon State, since it's the opener. The Beavers are starting a new quarterback and appear to have lost their best receiver, Sammie Stroughter, for the game. After that, I could see Utah beating UCLA, but mostly because Karl Dorrell has a problem winning road games against teams that finish with a .500 or better record. As for Louisville, the only hope is that Utah defeated Steve Kragthorpe's Tulsa team in the Armed Forces Bowl last year. The offense ran by the Hurricanes was rather pathetic and predictable and if Louisville runs that same offense, it could mean the Utes push for an upset. But I do concede that on paper, Utah is not even close to the talent level of UCLA and Louisville, so I would not bet in favor of them getting an upset in either of those games. Oregon State though, that's probably their best shot."
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