Pre-season optimism is expected, things are fresh, we are on a 12 game regular season win streak, we are so far " undefeated " for 2013, its all good.
Unfortunately I expect that optimism to fade over the first few games.
We spent TWO FULL SPRINGS, and last years season designing an offense for EG---varied launch points, read option, option, deep throws, and some nifty play action and adding up-tempo for 2013.
All that is gone now, we are offensively going to be DELIBERATE, conservative, & generally cautious. We are going to TRY and run the ball , throw short , and essentially run the REES offense that has been glaringly INEFFECTIVE. In Tommy's last four big playing time games FSU, STANFORD, MICHIGAN & BYU----our offensive production in those last four MAJOR appearances by tommy have been ANEMIC at best . And to make things worse we are replacing our backfield and our AA TE. I would list the stats for those four games but they are too depressing. And this post is downbeat enough.
If I am honest with myself its very hard to expect much exciting or very productive from this years offense, ( I do expect the 2014 offense to turn the corner and be the best one since Kelly arrived) but that's a year away.
Tommy threw a pick in every 29 passes last season---in 2011 tommy threw a pick every 29 passes--no change---Tommy has been throwing picks since HS and to expect his final year to be the big change is not totally realistic in my view.
By comparison EG threw a pick every 60 throws and that's including the back to back picks against Michigan and all his early struggles last season. And it was his FIRST season.
New RBs, new interior line, loss of the entire backfield and Tommy's favorite target our AA TE gone. Tommy has NO established go to receiver , he has to develop that through trial and error during the season.
IMHO if we can go 9-3 during the year and have a legit shot at 10 wins in a bowl game, this season may have maxed out its potential.
Time will tell , but I fear offensive problems will make this a very up & down season.
But then my wife tells me I am wrong regularly , so hopefully my analysis is not as sound as I think!